Specialist sex offences teams for all police forces

SPECIALIST rape and sex offences investigators will be introduced to every police force as part of reforms to be introduced under the Government's violence against women and girls (Vawg) strategy.

- ANAHITA HOSSEIN-POUR

Teams to deal with such crimes will be set up by 2029 to replace an outdated system to better support victims and crack down on rapists and sex offenders.

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, inset, has pledged to strip foreign sex offenders of refugee protections so that they can be deported faster under proposed reforms to human rights laws.

Plans will also be explored to widen a disclosure scheme to allow for more offenders to have their past convictions released to their partners on request. She announced the changes ahead of the Vawg strategy launch later this week. It comes as ministers have vowed to halve violence against women and girls in the next 10 years but have faced criticism over delays to publishing the plan.

On Tuesday, chairs of the Home Affairs Committee, Justice Committee and Women and Equalities Committee wrote to ministers over concerns from Vawg groups, including the delay is creating “significant uncertainty” across the sector and sending a message Vawg is “not a government priority”.

But announcing the move, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “This Government has declared violence against women and girls a national emergency.