All police forces in England and Wales will have specialist rape and sexual offence teams in place by December 2027, the Home Office has announced. In a package of measures aimed at reducing violence against women and girls (VAWG), domestic abuse protection orders will also be expanded to cover all types of domestic abuse.
Up to 10 police forces across England and Wales will receive a share of a £13.3 million budget earmarked for pioneering the specialist protection order teams.
Included in the measures will be an expansion of existing orders to protect victims from stalking, sexual harm and forced marriage, with new domestic abuse protection orders covering all types of domestic abuse: physical, controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse and stalking.
There will be no maximum duration for the orders, meaning victims will not need to repeatedly apply for protection.
The Home Office funding will allow police teams to trial new ways to enforce the protection orders, with tighter management of perpetrators to protect victims. Domestic abuse specialists will be placed in 999 control rooms, with online operatives deployed to identify offenders and use covert intelligence techniques to tackle online abuse.
The specialist rape and sexual offences teams will be dedicated to investigating rape and sexual offences, supporting victims and bringing sex offenders to justice.
Initially announced in the government’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy last December, the rollout of the teams was due to be completed by the end of the parliament in summer 2029, but the prime minister said the original timescale was “too slow”.
“The scale of violence and abuse suffered by women and girls in this country is unacceptable. We must be laser focused on stamping out these vile crimes”, Andy Burnham said in a statement announcing the move.
“These measures were going to be introduced in 2029, but I think that’s too slow. So we’re taking action to accelerate the roll out of specialist rape and sexual offence teams, who will go after perpetrators, enforce strict new protection orders to protect survivors, and invest in programmes to intensively manage offenders to break the cycle of abuse.”
Satvir Kaur, the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, said violence against women and girls “is one of the most critical challenges of our time”.
She added: “By ensuring every police force has specialist rape and sexual offence teams sooner, and funding for new protection order teams, we are strengthening our response, relentlessly pursuing perpetrators and helping victims live their life without fear.
“This government will continue to use every lever available to drive down violence against women and girls. We will not stop until women and girls can live their lives free from fear, and until this country is safe for everyone.”
Ellie Butt, head of policy and public affairs at specialist UK domestic abuse organisation Refuge, said the charity welcomes the measures but warned they represent a small portion of the change needed to support victims and survivors.
“Protection orders are highly under-utilised, and for survivors able to access an order, enforcement is often inadequate”, she explained.
“Increased investment in specialist protection order teams is essential, but these professionals must also encourage a shift in internal policing culture. Survivors often avoid reporting the abuse they’ve experienced to the police for fear of being disbelieved or undermined, so for protection order teams to increase uptake of these tools, genuine efforts are needed to build women’s and girls’ confidence in policing and ensure abuse does not go unreported.
“The government’s VAWG strategy was published eight months ago, but we are concerned that momentum is slowing. As Andy Burnham returns to parliament, now is the time to take urgent action and recommit to halving VAWG.
“Crucially, as his government prepares for its first budget, there must be increased, long-term investment in specialist domestic abuse services. Many of these vital services are at breaking point after years of chronic underfunding, but for survivors, they are a lifeline.
“Women and girls must be able to access the support they need, when they need it. Without investment in specialist services, survivors will continue to pay the price.”
