Hamilton police will decide this week whether to charge two women who made separate false rape complaints at the weekend.

Detective Sergeant Nigel Keall said police spent time and resources investigating the women’s complaints.

“It’s just a waste of resources that could have been used elsewhere.”
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Senior investigators estimate that between 60 and 80 per cent of rape complaints made by women are false.

Mr Keall said false complaints tainted the community’s perception of sexual offending and the genuine victims who needed support.

He said there was also a difference between people making complaints of stranger rapes and making allegations against a specific person, which could sometimes be malicious.