England and Wales to Establish Specialist Sexual Offence Investigation Teams by 2029
By 2029, all police forces in England and Wales will have dedicated specialist sexual offence investigation teams focusing on rape and sexual offences. This initiative is part of a broader strategy aimed at halving violence against women and girls over the next ten years.
The strategy, announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, includes several measures such as the rollout of domestic abuse protection orders across England and Wales. These orders will prohibit contact, home visits, and the sharing of online content by abusers, with any breaches constituting criminal offences. Additionally, almost £2 million has been allocated to establish undercover online units targeting the harassment of women and girls.
The plan centers on three main goals: preventing the radicalisation of young men, stopping abusers, and supporting victims. More than half of police forces already have specialist teams in place, but the commitment is to ensure every force has dedicated officers by 2029.
This strategy comes in response to concerns highlighted by a recent report which found that over a quarter of forces lacked fundamental policies for investigating sexual offences and that there is limited data available on sexually motivated crimes.
The plan has experienced several delays and was initially expected in the spring. There have also been concerns raised by the chairs of three Commons select committees regarding its timing and implementation.
