EXCLUSIVE: Unresolved cases of violence against women and girls cases in Cambridgeshire on rise
Last year saw a jump in the number of cases still under investigation
More than 2,000 cases of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Cambridgeshire since 2019 remain under investigation.
Our freedom of information request also found more than 1,800 reports received by the county's police force last year have not ended in an outcome, higher than the previous five years combined.
Cambridgeshire Police say they are managing investigations into VAWG "as expeditiously as possible".
Five times more VAWG reports without an outcome
Data from Cambridgeshire Police showed between 2023 and 2024, there was an increase of more than 1,700 in VAWG incidents still being investigated.
That compares to none without an outcome in 2019.
- 2019: 0 (under investigation) out of 10,493 reports
- 2020: 3 out of 14,359 reports
- 2021: 15 out of 15,127 reports
- 2022: 34 out of 15,859 reports
- 2023: 120 out of 14,599 reports
- 2024: 1,899 out of 13,778 reports
Ms Tebbit is Cambridgeshire Police's force project manager for Operation Soteria, set up in response to national concern around the investigation of rape and serious sexual assault offences and VAWG.
She said "complex matters" when looking into a VAWG case affects the time police take to find an outcome, and believes these offences can be difficult to prove.
"But that doesn't mean they're impossible, and what it means is we need to be more effective in our investigations to be able to get the right outcomes for our victims," she said.
"I think the increased reporting was largely driven by the fact there was much more publicity nationally surrounding this area, which has long been lacking.
"It's positive for us to see that increased reporting because it gives us the ability to understand the true impact it has on our communities."
How many VAWG cases ended in a charge?
During the six-year period we've obtained data for, 2022 saw the highest number of cases that resulted in a charge or summons with 2024 seeing the lowest.
- 2019: 712
- 2020: 693
- 2021: 632
- 2022: 740
- 2023: 635
- 2024: 627
Other outcomes
- Caution (youths) - 2019: 9 / 2020: 16 / 2021: 20 / 2022: 21 / 2023: 13 / 2024: 4
- Caution (adults) - 2019: 54 / 2020: 216 / 2021: 274 / 2022: 327 / 2023: 261 / 2024: 227
- Taken into consideration - 2019: 2 / 2020: 0 / 2021: 0 / 2022: 0 / 2023: 0 / 2024:
- Community Resolution - 2019: 138 / 2020: 288 / 2021: 332 / 2022: 526 / 2023: 411 / 2024: 387
In February, the Government announced a new £13 million intelligence-led police centre will be launched to tackle VAWG.
This comes amid issues around better funding for charities and other services that are tackling the issue.
Ms Tebbit said whatever the outcome, building a relationship with the victim can allow more people to come forward.
"The important thing is to ensure the way in which we have treated that victim during the course of that investigation has built trust and confidence in them, that they would be able to report something if it happened again, irrespective of outcome," she added.
In its election-winning manifesto, Labour said it pledged to halve VAWG within a decade.
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