The “full power of the state” will be deployed in the largest crackdown on violence perpetrated against women and girls in British history, as part of new strategy announced by the government today.
All police forces in England and Wales will introduce specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams to hunt down perpetrators, with specialist investigators to apprehend, investigate and lock up rapists and sex offenders across the country.
The specialist teams will replace an “outdated” system, in which officers often don’t have the specialist knowledge to investigate rapists and sex offenders, resulting in perpetrators remaining at large.
All police forces have been instructed to better support victims and “relentlessly pursue” offenders, home secretary Shabana Mahmood said. She added:
“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 it in a decade.
“Today we announce a range of measures to bear down on abusers, stopping them in their tracks. Rapists, sex offenders and abusers will have nowhere to hide.”
An average 200 rapes are recorded by police every day, with many more going unreported.
“Offenders of these vile crimes are among the most prolific and dangerous criminals in our society,” a joint statement from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, the home secretary, Jess Phillips and Alex Davies-Jones said.
“Yet the tools and tactics used by law enforcement to pursue them are outdated, too often leaving men and boys to wreak havoc without any consequence.”
Campaigner Nour Norris OBE is the aunt of Raneem Oudeh, who, along with her mother and Nour’s sister Khaola Saleem, was brutally murdered by her husband. Mistakes made by West Midlands Police “materially contributed” to their deaths, an inquest heard.
“I welcome the measures announced today as part of the government’s VAWG strategy, and fully support the government’s recognition of the scale and complexity of the problem,” Norris said.
“This strategy will be the first time we have seen a government bring together all these critical areas of failure and act on them within such a short period. That acknowledgement matters, as does the willingness to reform.
“For my family, these reforms to have specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams in every force and rolling out DAPOs to tackle perpetrators, are not abstract. Khaola and Raneem not only faced a failing 999 control room but also experienced almost every gap that will be outlined in this strategy.
“Raneem lived for years with a perpetrator who was able to exploit weaknesses across policing, risk assessment, information sharing, and enforcement. My campaign has always been about closing those gaps so no woman is left unprotected, unheard, or unbelieved. I stand ready to support this work, and look forward to the publication of the VAWG Strategy.”
Domestic abuse protection orders will also be rolled out across England and Wales, placing mandatory curfews, electronic tagging, exclusion zones and notification requirements on abusers,. Offenders who break orders will face up to five years in jail.
The orders will cover all forms of domestic abuse, including economic abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour, stalking and ‘honour’-based abuse. There will be no maximum time limits placed on the orders, with victims provided with protection for as long as they need.
A new team of online operatives will be deployed to use covert and intelligence techniques to identify and apprehend preparators online. Investment of almost £2 million will fund a network of officers with the technical capability to target technologically sophisticated offenders.
The measures set out today build on action already being taken, including launching facial recognition technology to help police apprehend dangerous predators, and bringing in Raneem’s Law to embed domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms.
Last year, the Home Office also announced a raft of measures to tackle stalking and provide greater support to victims, including giving women the right to know the identity of their online stalker and making strangulation a criminal offence, as part of the Crime and Policing Bill.
The Law Society of England and Wales has welcomed the announcement, but said providing access to legal advice would be critical to the success of the strategy. “Prevention is always better than cure,” said vice president Brett Dixon.
“To truly seize the opportunity of ‘deploying the full power of the state’, it is critical that the government ensures victims can access legal advice, while resourcing and supporting fast and fair family and criminal courts.
“The Qualified Legal Representative scheme was brought in to protect survivors of domestic abuse from being cross-examined by their alleged abuser. However, the good intentions behind this scheme are undermined by poor resourcing. Low fees and a lack of robust data collection have meant that the scheme is failing to deliver on what it promised.
“The government must take this learning and use it to ensure that the VAWG strategy, and all efforts to reduce harm against women and girls, have proper evaluation mechanisms and data collection built in. This moment offers the chance to effectively measure the outcomes of these positive initiatives and ensure their success.”
The Victims’ Commissioner designate, Claire Waxman OBE, also warned that urgent investment into leadership and practical support would be required to avoid the strategy becoming “less than the sum of its parts.”
“As the government rightly states, this is a national emergency – and it requires a commensurate response,” she said.
“As incoming Victims’ Commissioner, my focus is on practical measures that deliver real change, ensuring victims can access the justice and support they need. While many individual initiatives are welcome, it remains to be seen whether the overall strategy provides the scale, pace, and leadership required to match the government’s ambition – and truly tackle this emergency.”
Without funding to increase capacity and resources, the government risks “driving up demand” that will destabilise the partners on which it relies, she warned.
“Ultimately, the success of this strategy hinges on whether delivery partners are equipped to succeed. Early indications around funding are deeply concerning. The strategy introduces welcome measures in schools and the NHS which will, by design, drive up disclosures and referrals to police and victim services. Yet frontline services are already overstretched and struggling to meet need, and the criminal justice system remains in crisis.
“Funding is critical. Driving up demand without increasing capacity puts victims at risk and threatens to destabilise the very partners the strategy relies upon. This concern is heightened by the lack of meaningful consultation. Victim services are not an optional extra to this strategy – they must be the backbone of it.
“Without clear, sustainable investment and cross-government leadership, I am concerned we run the risk of the strategy amounting to less than the sum of its parts; a wish-list of tactical measures rather than a bold, unifying strategic framework.”
Waxman concluded:
“Delivery is now key. My office will be scrutinising the implementation closely – including the data underpinning these commitments – and I am committed to working with the government to ensure the strategy translates into real-world change, where women and girls feel safe, supported, and protected.”
