<\/p>\n
Specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams will be introduced to every police force in England and Wales by 2029, the government has pledged.<\/p>\n
It is part of a long-delayed plan aimed at halving violence against women and girls within a decade.<\/p>\n
The strategy – which will include funding for undercover units operating online, and a roll out of domestic abuse protection orders – is due to be unveiled on Thursday, after being pushed back three times this year.<\/p>\n
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the measures will help to “bear down on abusers, stopping them in their tracks. Rapists, sex offenders and abusers will have nowhere to hide.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The government says the new teams will have officers with specialist investigation skills for working on rape and sexual offence cases.<\/p>\n
More than 50% of police forces already have these teams in place, but the government says every force will have dedicated officers by 2029.<\/p>\n
It says staff will have the right training to understand the mindset of abusers and victims.<\/p>\n
Announcing the move, the home secretary said: “This government has declared violence against women and girls a national emergency.<\/p>\n
“For too long, these crimes have been considered a fact of life. That’s not good enough. We will halve it in a decade.”<\/p>\n
Also announced is a roll out of domestic abuse protection orders, which have been trialled over the last year, across England and Wales.<\/p>\n
They can ban individuals from contacting a victim, visiting their home or posting harmful content online, and can also be used in cases involving coercive or controlling behaviour. Breaching an order is a criminal offence.<\/p>\n
There will also be almost \u00a32m in investment for special undercover units of police officers operating online – to target those harassing women and girls on the internet.<\/p>\n
A report released earlier this month found that more than a quarter of police forces in England and Wales had not implemented basic policies for investigating sexual offences.<\/a><\/p>\n It said sexually-motivated crimes against women in public remained widespread, criticised the limited nature of data on them, and called for urgent action to prevent predators from offending.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The publishing of the government’s strategy has been long delayed. It was initially expected to be announced in the spring.<\/p>\n In Labour’s general election manifesto last year the party pledged to use “every government tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence”.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, the chairs of three Commons select committees raised their concerns over repeated delays in publishing the plans.<\/a><\/p>\n