Transforming how we investigate rape and sexual assault (Operation Soteria)

North Yorkshire Police commits to implementing Operation Soteria.

North Yorkshire Police completes its nationally-set self-assessment to determine where we are now.

2023 – 2024 the force promotes the national survivors experience survey on behalf of the City of London University – view the report here.

2024

Project team established and planning begins to implement the change programme over the coming months and years. 

 

July 2024

North Yorkshire Police hosts a symposium for partners and practitioners. Attendees included frontline officers, detectives, police staff, safeguarding partners, Independent Domestic Abuse Services, the Crown Prosecution Service and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors.

The audience heard from each of our six pillar leads who explained where we are now following our self-assessment and the next steps we need to take to embed the changes across the county. This was followed by a workshop with questions posed to the audience by each of the pillar leads.

The six pillars are: 

1. Suspect-focused investigations 
2. Disruption of repeat suspects 
3. A procedural justice approach to engaging with victims
4. Learning, development and wellbeing of officers 
5. Strategic use of police data 
6. Digital forensics 

CPS drop-in sessions 

During 2024 we held a number of day-long drop-in clinics across the force with a specialist Rape and Serious Sexual Offences lawyer from the Crown Prosecution Service. 

It provided officers with a rare opportunity to gain first-hand advice from a specialist prosecutor. We are planning more of these drop-in sessions as we work towards the launch of our “How to apply for Early Advice- what to ask for session“.

We know from forces who have already introduced this that their EA numbers have increased and the number of action plans upon initial pre-charge advice have reduced. 

October

Non-contact sexual offences 

New non-contact sexual offences policy is launched across the force. 

2025

RASSO First Responder training 

RASSO First Responder training is launched for frontline officers, Force Control Room staff, Front Counter and Exhibits staff, PCSOs and special constables. This training began in January 2025 and will take place over the next 12 months.

Wellbeing of investigators

Our self-assessment highlighted that we needed to do more to support the wellbeing of our investigators due to the cumulative impact that trauma can have on officers who investigate this type of crime. In January our Trauma-Informed awareness sessions began for all PIP-2 level trained investigators and Sexual Offence Liaison Officers. These will take place between January and June and will feature in future training for all new investigators and SOLOs. Trauma informed is also being considered for inclusion in the Positive Psychology course for all new staff.

New, No Further Action process to communicate better with victims when no further action can be taken

In May we launched new No Further Action letters for rape and sexual assault investigations

The letter is mandatory for use in all sexual offence investigations including contact and non-contact offences where no further action is to be taken.

It has been developed nationally and is part of the suite of National Operating Model products produced by Operation Soteria.

There are two versions of the letter – one for victims who are not seeking a procedural outcome, and one for victims who support a procedural outcome.

They have both been localised to provide victims with details of support services available in York and North Yorkshire.

The letters have been designed in consultation with victims and survivors of rape and serious sexual assault.

They are not gender-specific or age-specific.

Where they have been used by other forces, those forces have reported a reduction in the number of complaints and better victim satisfaction.

The letters must be delivered in person and preferably with an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor, or with consultation with the victim to agree their preferred method of delivery. They must not be sent to the victim with no prior communication with them. 

New call script to improve our service to victims 

In June 2025 we introduced a new call script in the Force Control Room for reports of rape.

This was introduced to help FCR staff who told us they would benefit from prompts & questions to ensure they provide the best service to members of the public.

Specialist Sexual Assault Investigators Development Programme

Version two of the Specialist Sexual Assault Investigators Development Programme (SSAIDP) training is launched across the force for PIP2 trained investigators. This is a two-week, face-to-face training course and feedback to date has been very positive: 

“Brilliant course and I would highly recommend to colleagues.”

“I really enjoyed the course, it was delivered by knowledgeably passionate trainers who clearly understood the subject matter and created a safe and welcoming environment.”

“Content of the course was relevant to the investigations we deal with, delivery of the course was great.”

“It very much causes you to re-consider your previous ways of working and provides a much more victim focused direction when it comes to RASSO investigations.”

Continuous Professional Development sessions focusing on the National Operating Model and its suite of products

We launched two-day Continuous Professional Development sessions for PIP-2 trained officers in the National Operating Model products.

Digitial platform 

The National Operation Model Digital Platform contains a raft of products to support all investigators from first responders to senior investigators.

It contains toolkits and guides covering a range of topics from using the right language, practitioner wellbeing, to investigative strategies.

Improving our data 

A key focus of Operation Soteria is to understand why victims withdraw their support for investigations, so a lot of our work is around improved data collection to understand why and how we address this.

Co-location with Independent Sexual Violence Advisors 

Independent Sexual Violence Advisors became a more familiar sight in our police stations from June 2025 with the launch of regular two-hour drop-in sessions based in our Safeguarding Investigation Teams.

Victims of any kind of sexual offence should be offered the support of an ISVA. They can also self-refer to our provider IDAS, if they prefer. 

What is an ISVA?

An ISVA provides invaluable support to victims of rape and sexual assault. As their role suggests, they are independent of the police and work for IDAS. They can support your victim from the outset of an investigation explaining the investigative process, court processes, keeping them informed at every step of the way, even when you are not able to.

Evidence has shown that support from an ISVA reduces the number of victims who disengage from investigations and improves their overall confidence in the investigation.

Increase in the number of trained Sexual Offence Liaison Officers 

As part of Operation Soteria, we've increased our number of Sexual Offence Liaison Officers to 76 across the force.

SOLOs as they are known, are responsible for acting as a first responder to allegations of a sexual offence. They gather evidence and information from a victim in a manner that contributes to the investigation, preserves its integrity, and secures their confidence and trust.

SOLOs also provide support and information, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, to victims of sexual crime, ensuring they are given timely information about other police departments, support agencies and the criminal justice process' so it aligns with the profile.

Closer working with the Crown Prosecution Service 

We have worked with the Crown Prosecution Service to develop learning materials for officers and staff to improve their knowledge of the wider criminal justice system and the complexities of building a robust case file for prosections. 

Mandatory e-learning 

A mandatory e-learning package developed by the College of Policing in relation to non-contact sex offences is rolled out for all frontline staff, responders and anyone involved in non-contact investigations. 

Pause-Point

We're currenlty piloting a programme to support the mental health of investigators called "Pause Point"