Operation Soteria Bluestone is a new method of investigation set to improve how the UK police and production service deal with sex crimes. The operation was launched by the Home Office in June 2021 as part of the UK Government’s End-to-End Rape Review. It was piloted in Avon and Somerset in 2021 and has since spread to other forces. The method, informed by academic discussions and a perpetrator-first lens, has skyrocketed the conviction rate in Avon and Somerset. Following the pilot scheme,
I spoke with 24-year-old DC Charlotte Netherwood from Avon and Somerset police to understand the issues Bluestone is tackling and the impact it has had. We discussed all things from perpetrator behaviour, social media and the new Netflix show Adolescence.
Why did you join Bluestone?
In terms of joining the police, my thought process kick-started when I was in my third year of uni, doing a module in criminal psychology. It looked at why certain people can be victims or perpetrators of crime.
It was interesting from my point of view, growing up in a low socio-economic area. I found the stats, quite shocking.
Charlotte did the degree holder scheme and landed at Bluestone a year ago. She explained why Bluestone stood out to her:
Making a difference in vulnerable people’s lives was important to me. So I thought, well if I come from that background, why can I not have a go at making a positive impact on people?
Before Bluestone, what were the biggest challenges when investigating sexual offences?
In the past, there was difficulty having a victim fully on board and supported throughout. A lot of people worried it would be, ‘he said, she said’.
Whereas, how we operate now is that we’re suspect-focused. So we’ll try as much as we can to take the onus off of the victim.
In the past, people would look at the victim. ‘Oh, they wore this outfit, they were walking on their own, they had a drink of alcohol’. Now, we have shifted to looking suspect and any grooming behaviours they exhibit. We approach it by focusing on the suspect’s actions, to take it away from the victim because it’s not their fault.
Taking the pressure off of them in the best way that we can, it’s kind of what I think is the biggest change.
How is bluestone different?
It is more of a holistic approach we look at individuals as people and not just victim blaming.
There are a lot of issues around rape myths and victim blaming that are quite ingrained in society. I know a lot of people are talking about the new Netflix show at the moment. I don’t know if you’ve watched it.
Is that Adolescence? What are you and your team’s thoughts on that?
Yes, adolescence. A lot of people are talking about rape myths and toxic masculinity. People are commenting on this boy who’s got a lot to say about his dad, and all he can say about his mum is ‘Mum cooks a good roast dinner’. It’s good for mainstream media to see the impacts of what social media can do.
There is an undertone through social media that is scary, you don’t really realise what young people are getting exposed to and how it might be impacting them. It can, down the line that may, impact offending behaviours.
There are jobs with younger children that we do see. It comes down to an education and an exposure thing. Consent is not talked about enough for young people to understand the full extent of their actions.
Most people on the team have dealt with a job where there have been young people involved, and that age, just seems to get younger and younger.
The show Adolescence comes at a time when over a third of UK secondary school teachers are reporting instances of misogynistic behaviour.
You talked about rape myths, how does Bluestone tackle these?
Our initial work with victims is a lot of talking. Building that rapport with people to then branch into some of these rape myths and stereotypes. A lot of individuals may still be blaming themselves. It’s something that we’ll try and start to break down with them.
We explain that this is not something that should have happened. It’s a way to get them to start to realise and process. This then impacts whether they want to engage with us, whether they just take it away and think, ‘OK, I know that it’s not my fault, but I’m not ready for that’.
It’s not always about like an investigation, because if someone’s not ready, we don’t want to urge anyone to pursue an investigation. But we want them to know that we will be there down the line if they are ready.
What are ISVAs?
ISVAs are independent sexual violence advocates. Avon and Somerset work with the provider Safelink.
Working with the ISVAs is great. I’ve had brilliant experiences in utilising them with my victims. Particularly the victims that may need slightly more reassurance, slightly more contact. They are a really good channel to give all the information to. And they’ll deliver it through to the victim in manageable snippets.
When I introduce ISVAs to a victim, I explain that they could see my name on their phone to do their update, and they might think, ‘Oh my gosh, why is Lottie calling me? It must be really bad. I really don’t want to talk to her. I’m having a bad day.’ Whereas the ISVA is that neutral person in that chain.
They can maybe help ease the anxieties of hearing updates from the police, especially if individuals do feel like, ‘oh, I’m not really sure about like chatting to the police directly.’
It helps to facilitate communication. To make sure that it’s open, it’s honest. Also, if we’re not doing a good job in the victim’s opinion, the ISVA can help, and we’ll work with them to achieve that.
So they’re just so useful to us as police, but they’re also so useful to the victim for emotional support as well.
What is the relationship like with the Crown Prosecution Service?
We use early advice from the CPS to help with direct challenges in our investigations
They help with evidential challenges that people see in the media, where people use the phrase ‘one word against the other.’ In reality, we would never use that phrase because there’s always something else.
That’s something that working with the CPS, in the early stages of an investigation, can really help with. It can point us to other lines of enquiry to pursue to get the investigation to a better place.
How do you personally deal with investigating sexual offences?
I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t a heavy subject to investigate At the moment I’m holding 17 rape investigations in my workload.
Every job is different, and every job comes with its own challenges. But I think the gravity of what I’m dealing with is outweighed by trying to do the best job that I can for that victim. Regardless of where it falls in the end, I think as long as I know that I’ve tried my best and that we’ve done everything we can, then it makes it worthwhile.
