Police expect an increase in rape reports

Coercion or violence has up to now been deemed as sufficient factors in defining a rape.

As of today, this definition will change such that a lack of mutual consent now constitutes rape.

Police believe that this new legal definition will result in more rape cases being reported.

“Our general investigation processes will remain unchanged,” says Heri Andreasen, the head of criminal investigations at the Faroese police.

“But looking at the effects of the recent rape law change in Denmark, we can expect a 20-30 percent increase in reported rapes.”

 >> SEE ALSO Harsher rape penalties

New statistics on sexual crimes for the period 1 January 2018 – 25 March 2022 reveal that most rape cases are reported long after the alleged crime took place.

Of the 59 cases reported in this period, only 11 were reported within five hours of the alleged incident. Nine were reported more than a year later.

The longest sentence passed in this period was a jail term of two years and three months.

Read the Faroese versions of this article here and here.

More Faroese News in English.