They also call for more specialist training in the police force and for trained prosecutors to be used in rape cases.It's unlikely that the Metropolitan Police report, to be compiled in the next two months by Deputy Commissioner Brian Paddick, will come up with much to contradict this long-established wisdom.In part, the inquiry has been inspired because of the vast discrepancy in rape statistics between London boroughs alone. Islington, for example, claims a clear-up rate (when the perpetrator is known to the police even if they can't convict him) of 90 per cent, while Barking says theirs is just 27 per cent. Whatever is found to be behind these huge differences, the report is likely to be persuasive.Yet it won't persuade one person. Melanie Phillips, who writes for the Daily Mail, has already condemned the investigation. She says Ian Blair is guilty of topsy-turvy thinking that assumes a man to be "guilty until proven innocent" when he "is accused by a woman of rape" His confusion, says Phillips, is easily explained. "Far from the police failing to deal appropriately with an epidemic of rape, they are having to cope with an epidemic of spurious accusations".She asserts that these are not always malicious, but because of drunk women not remembering whether they gave consent or not, women getting into situations they regret because of the "casualisation of sex" , and even women imagining they have been raped because "being forced to have sexual intercourse against your will" could be interpreted as having to put out when you're not "very keen on the idea".Phillips says that the drive to increase rape convictions is born of political correctness, and the desire to make out that "men are intrinsically violent and predatory". But, on the contrary, it is Phillips who denigrates and belittles men, by suggesting that it is up to a woman to protect herself from the male desire to have sex with a near-comatose drunk, to keep out of situations in which a man might find himself overcome with unstoppable desire, or even be prepared to have sex we don't want just to keep a man happy.Decent men don't want to be judged by those standards, because they have enough respect for themselves and others to conduct themselves in a civilised manner.

Warne keeps it tight whilst Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie have a well-earned rest and for the past year Vaughan has been able to throw the ball to Giles knowing that he can afford England's fast bowlers the same luxury.The tactic of bowling over the wicket, and aiming for the rough created by bowlers bowling from the other end, may not be as sexy or skilful as that performed by Warne, but it has proved successful. Giles also scored useful runs batting at eight, and by the end of the summer his input had played a major role in England winning seven consecutive Test matches. Last winter's tour of South Africa failed to bring the same success but he remains a pivotal part of England's bowling attackGiles may have taken 456 Test wickets fewer than Shane Warne but he attempts to perform the same role for England as the legendary leg-spinner does for Australia. The results of Giles's labour will become clearer in the next 48 hours but there must be a distinct possibility of him having only a limited role in England's Ashes campaign.Twelve months ago the availability of Giles would have been considered pretty irrelevant to the chances of England winning a Test series. The Warwickshire spinner had just had a miserable winter touring with England and, with a Test bowling average of over 40, there was constant speculation about his place in Vaughan's side.But 31 wickets in seven Test matches against New Zealand and the West Indies changed everyone's perception of the affable spinner. Initially it was felt that there was nothing seriously wrong and, in an attempt to get himself fit for Lord's, the 32-year-old had a cortisone injection in the joint.

But it failed to rid Giles of the complaint and he was sent for a scan, which revealed he has a tear of the laberum.An injury like this is unlikely to disappear unless it is operated on, but in an effort to get him through a momentous summer of cricket he has been placed on a training schedule which involves pilates sessions and hydrotherapy work in a pool. Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher will remain close to their mobile phones tomorrow morning, desperately hoping that a call from Edgbaston will bring positive news on the fitness of Ashley Giles. The left-arm spinner missed England's two Test victories over Bangladesh with a hip injury and, following a couple of weeks of rehabilitation, his chances of playing in this month's NatWest Series will be assessed by the medical teams of Warwickshire and England. Giles damaged the cartilage in his right hip whilst playing for Warwickshire in the week prior to the first Test. Shabbir received only five balls but stayed to see Inzamam reach his hundred before falling to Browne's catch off Best. Last man Kaneria faced one delivery as Inzamam continued to add to the score.. Inzamam was on his way to the pavilion when West Indies fielders drew his attention to umpire Darrell Hair's no-ball call.It allowed the captain to shield tailend partners, Shabbir Ahmed and Danish Kaneria, in boosting the score by 27 by lunch although neither contributed a run. Afridi's run-a-ball 43 included a pulled six in fast bowler Daren Powell's first over of the day and his dismissal set off a collapse in which five wickets fell for 40 before lunch.In his second over, Best breached Abdul Razzaq's defence with a ball that cut back sharply to take off stump and in his next removed Kamran Akmal to a catch by Browne.One run later, Reon King forced Rana Naved to chop a short delivery into his stumps and the medium-pacer would have ended Inzamam's innings eight short of his hundred when he found his edge for Browne to belatedly atone.