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expert rape and sexual crime investigation teams The government has announced that it will be instituted in every police force by 2029.
Shabana MehmoodThe Home Secretary said the tools and tactics used to catch abusers are outdated and must be replaced by dedicated teams. 43 armies in England and Wales.
About 30 force There is already a dedicated rape and serious sexual offenses unit, Independent Understands. However, the Home Office admitted that not every force would have one by 2029.
Campaigners have said the delay is unacceptable and that when survivors come forward they will receive a disproportionate response.
The announcement has been billed as “the biggest crackdown on violence against women and girls in British history”, including a nationwide rollout of domestic abuse protection orders, which have been trialled over the past year.
The reforms are to be part of the long-awaited Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, which will be unveiled next week.
Ministers have pledged to halve VAWG over the next decade, but have faced criticism over delays in publishing their plans.
On Tuesday, the chairs of the Home Affairs Committee, the Justice Committee and the Women and Equalities Committee wrote to ministers over the concerns of VAWG groups, warning that the delay is creating “significant uncertainty” across the sector and sending a message that VAWG “is not a government priority”.
Announcing the latest measures, Ms Mahmood said: “This Government has declared violence against women and girls a national emergency.
“For too long, these crimes have been considered a fact of life. That’s not good enough.
“We will halve this in a decade. Today, we announce a series of measures to crack down on abusers, stopping them in their tracks.
“Rapists, sex offenders and abusers will have nowhere to hide.”
Domestic abuse protection orders can impose conditions to help protect victims from domestic abuse, including coercive behaviour, stalking and so-called honour-based violence.
Conditions could include mandatory curfews, electronic tagging, exclusion zones and notification requirements on abusers, with offenders breaking the order facing up to five years in prison.
The Home Office said almost £2 million would also be invested in a network of officers to target online violence against women and girls.
It is expected to build on the success of a covert network on child sexual exploitation, which has resulted in the arrest of more than 1,700 criminals.
Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, welcomed the reforms, but urged police forces to prioritize them without delay.
“All survivors deserve care, support and sensitivity when they take the courageous step of reporting what happened to them to the police and getting their case properly and thoroughly investigated to give them the best chance of getting justice,” she said.
“However, we are concerned that it may not be fully implemented until 2029. In the meantime, survivors may often receive inconsistent responses depending on the force field they live in. This is not acceptable.
“Victims of rape face enormous challenges in the criminal justice system, with their cases facing more delays than those for any other type of crime. We urge police forces to prioritize the implementation of these reforms without any delay.”
Under Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, the Home Office announced last year that they were rolling out Operation Soteria across the country, a program which has helped police and prosecutors work closer together when investigating rape and sexual crimes.
Ms Mahmood has previously indicated she is considering major reforms that could drastically reduce the number of police forces in England and Wales.