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Professionals' perceptions of a new model of sexual assault investigation adopted by Victoria Police

Powell, Martine B. and Wright, Rebecca 2012, Professionals' perceptions of a new model of sexual assault investigation adopted by Victoria Police, Current issues in criminal justice, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 333-352.

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Title Professionals' perceptions of a new model of sexual assault investigation adopted by Victoria Police
Author(s) Powell, Martine B.
Wright, Rebecca
Journal name Current issues in criminal justice
Volume number 23
Issue number 3
Start page 333
End page 352
Total pages 20
Publisher University of Sydney, Law School, Institute of Criminology
Place of publication Sydney, N. S. W.
Publication date 2012-03
ISSN 1034-5329
Keyword(s) rape investigation
Victoria Police
rape victims
legal status
criminal procedure
services for rape victims
Summary This article presents a qualitative evaluation of a new method of operation for sexual assault investigation developed by Victoria Police. The model is characterised by two core components: the establishment of specialist teams of investigators responsible for investigation and victim support; and the establishment of service sites, referred to as 'Multidisciplinary Centres', where all key services are located in a single building separate from police stations. The research approach consisted of in-depth interviews with 90 stakeholders (police, counsellors, medical officers, child protection workers and prosecutors). Collectively, these interviews revealed strong, unanimous support for the ideologies that underpinned the new reforms. Reported outcomes included the following: improved collaboration; increased victim satisfaction, referrals between professionals and reporting rates; reduced response and investigation times; better quality briefs; and higher prosecution and conviction rates. These findings, along with the stakeholders' suggestions for further improvements, are discussed.
Language eng
Field of Research 170104 Forensic Psychology
Socio Economic Objective 970117 Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal
Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30047283

Document type: Journal Article
Collections: School of Psychology
Higher Education Research Group
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Created: Tue, 21 Aug 2012, 13:45:37 EST by Jane Moschetti