Rape victims feel they were treated 'insensitively' by gardaí

14% of rape victims who reported their attacks to Gardaí last year felt they were treated in an insensitive manner, according to a new report.

Clíona Saidléar, Acting Executive Director of the Rape Crisis Network Ireland, said "that number is unacceptably high … but there have been improvements."

Since the last assessment in 2009, she said gardaí were supportive of the feedback. However, she also said untrained Gardaí should not have been put in charge of cases involving sexual violence.

"Sexual violence crime, by and large, is a very complex area of investigation," she said.

"It requires certain skills that gardaí with no training don't have. So they shouldn't be put in a position where they're in charge of those cases."

It comes in the wake of the Garda Inspectorate report into the investigation of crimes, which highlighted failures in the way crime victims are dealt with.

The interim Garda Commissioner said the Inspectorate report also shows there needs to be an ongoing investment in resources for the force.