Police forces in England and Wales to get units that tackle violence against women | Violence against women and girls
All police forces in England and Wales will establish dedicated rape and sexual offense teams by 2029, the government has said.
The plans are announced as Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood prepares to outline a long-overdue strategy to address violence against women and girls (VAWG) next week.
Mahmood is also expected to announce the introduction of domestic abuse protection orders in England and Wales following a regional pilot programme.
Decisions will be made by judges in both civil and criminal cases, allowing judges to impose sanctions on offenders such as electronic tagging and exclusion zones. Those who violate the orders could face up to five years in prison, the government said.
It also announced it would invest nearly £2 million in “crack police teams” of “undercover online investigators” who will target those who abuse the internet.
“This government has declared violence against women and girls a national emergency,” Mahmood said. “For too long these crimes have been seen as a fact of life. This is not good enough. We will halve these crimes within ten years.”
“Today, we are announcing a range of measures to crack down on abusers and stop them in their tracks. Rapists, sex offenders and abusers will have nowhere to hide.”
The government has said plans for new rape and sexual offenses teams will be led by “specialist investigators” trained to understand offenders’ behaviour.
The plans are partly a response. Operation SoteriaA Home Office project commissioned by the Conservatives in 2021 in response to concerns about how reports of sexual violence are investigated and low pay rates. Initial data from the project showed that half of rape investigation teams were not fully qualified.
The training will specifically focus on “rape mythology” and “problematic cultural issues,” which will lead to some victims being fired or charged, sources said. They added that some officers will be trained as “first responders” to sexual violence to ensure initial contact with victims is handled appropriately.
The Guardian understands that no additional funding will be provided for these units, so forces will need to cover the costs from existing budgets. The pace of establishment is also expected to vary between forces and depend on the level of expertise available in each area.
However, the teams are expected to be supported by fans. National VAWG and Public Protection CenterA £13 million project to improve the response to such crime was announced this year.
Domestic abuse protection orders were introduced under a pilot program in November last year; It was initially practiced in Greater Manchester and parts of London, later expanded to north Wales and Cleveland.
The decisions are expected to target those who commit all types of domestic abuse. The government said this would include “economic exploitation, coercive and controlling behavior, stalking and ‘honour’-based abuse.” He added that there will be no maximum time limit on orders.
Halving gender-based violence within a decade was one of Labour’s key manifesto promises, but ministers have faced criticism over delays and a clear lack of engagement with experts in the sector.
Karen Bradley, chair of the home affairs select committee, wrote to ministers this week expressing concern about how long it was taking to publish the strategy, which was initially expected in the spring of this year.
He said: “The delay creates significant uncertainty across the VAWG sector and leaves stakeholders uncertain about the guiding principles that should shape its work. Repeated delays in publication send the message that tackling VAWG is not a government priority, despite ambitions to halve VAWG over the next decade.”
In his letter, Bradley added that the committee recognized there was “poor engagement and transparency with VAWG stakeholders” during the development of the strategy.
