Two in five rape cases are dropped by the person making the allegation in Wiltshire, figures reveal.

And according to the Home Office data, just one per cent of rape cases closed by Wiltshire Police between April and September 2020 resulted in a court summons or charge.

Experts say victims, who face lengthy waits for justice, risk being “retraumatised” by their experiences of the criminal justice system and many give up their cases because they feel they are not believed or that they are the ones under investigation.

Wiltshire Police accepted that the figures “did not paint a reassuring picture”, but said improvements introduced by the force and the Crown Prosecution Service were beginning to have an impact.

Home Office data showed that of the 297 rape investigations closed by Wiltshire Police between April and September last year, 82 per cent were dropped due to problems gathering evidence.

In nearly half of those cases, police said that the alleged victim no longer supported the investigation. A suspect had already been identified in 87 per cent of them.

Men, who are typically less likely to report rape, made far fewer allegations than women – 44 compared to 253 – and were less likely to drop their case.

The figures also show that just one per cent of rape cases closed by Wiltshire Police in that period resulted in a charge or summons.

In Wiltshire, 40 per cent of all rape cases closed over six months were dropped because victims did not support further action.

A Rape Crisis spokeswoman said it was not uncommon before the pandemic for victims to have to wait more than two years for their case to come to court. Criminal Bar Association chairman James Mulholland QC said: “The principal reason why complainants in sexual allegation cases are walking away rests with a lack of prosecution resources and delays of years, which prevent the vast majority of such allegations progressing through to charge and trial.”

Det Supt Chris Hanson of Wiltshire Police said: “It goes without saying that we take reports of rape and sexual assault incredibly seriously and we want our communities to have complete confidence in reporting these types of offences to the police. Dealing with rape and sexual assault is the Force’s priority.

“We accept that the figures both locally and nationally do not paint a reassuring picture, but we must stress that we are being very proactive in trying to make improvements.”

Those improvements included a new action plan developed with the Crown Prosecution Service, recruitment of specialist staff and ensuring all rape cases were investigated by specially-trained detectives.

He said: “I am pleased to say that we are already seeing the benefits of this approach and we are hopeful that this will be reflected in future data. We are seeing more cases referred to CPS more quickly. We are also increasing the number of perpetrators being charged and prosecuted.

“This is not something which can be drastically improved overnight, but we want this to be a sustained, long-term action plan that makes a real difference for victims and brings offenders to justice.”