Rape prevention work needed, says senior police officer
He also said police dealing with rape victims must be "honest" about the difficulties of getting convictions.
His comments come at the start of a week-long campaign to encourage rape victims to come forward.
Mr Hewitt, the Association of Chief Police Officers' (Acpo) lead for adult sexual offences, wants police and other agencies to focus on people who are vulnerable to abuse and institutions where intelligence suggests it is taking place.
He said the debate on sexual offences "is far too often restricted to investigation and prosecution" and called for a "challenging debate about prevention as well".
"Most rape involves the coming together of some form of power and some type of vulnerability; either permanent or temporary," he said.
"We need to be utilising all our powers and tactics to understand how this happens, to mitigate the vulnerability and reduce the opportunities for that power to be abused."
'Putting people off'
Mr Hewitt said the rape conviction rate was at an "all-time high" and victims must have the "confidence" to come forward.
But he said victims should be made aware that more than a third of rape prosecutions do not end in a conviction.
"We need to be honest about the challenges that are faced in investigating and prosecuting rape," he said.
In 2012-13, 3,692 rape prosecutions were brought in England and Wales and 63.2% of these resulted in convictions, Acpo said.
Mr Hewitt said the conviction rate could "put people off reporting" but he encouraged victims to come forward.
"It triggers a full investigation into the offence, but also means that victims are able to access medical treatment and support services to help them cope with the experience," he said.
Police do "everything they can" to support victims and ensure "justice is done", he added.
Five-year low
In the six months from October last year, reports of sex offences were up 9% on the same period a year before.
This rise came after the broadcast of an ITV documentary revealing the sex offences committed by the late TV presenter Jimmy Savile, who has since been described by police as a "prolific, predatory sex offender".
But last month it emerged that the number of rape allegations handed to prosecutors in England and Wales had hit a five-year low - despite a 30% increase in the number of rapes reported to police.
Police sent 5,404 rape cases to the Crown Prosecution Service in 2012/13 out of more than 17,000 reports, figures suggested.
Jordan Hart, 18, a rape victim whose attacker was jailed for 11 years, has waived her legal right to anonymity to support the campaign and encourage more victims to come forward.
"Reporting to the police gave me peace of mind, knowing I hadn't been beaten by him," she said.
She said a specialist officer gave her advice and guidance, adding: "I didn't do anything alone."
Javed Khan, chief executive of Victim Support, said victims "need to know" they will be taken seriously and treated sensitively.
"It takes a great deal of courage for victims to come forward but their confidence to do so is vital in bringing perpetrators to justice," he said.
Source:BBC
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