Jessica O'ConnorThe Government has announced a major expansion of specialist policing roles as part of a new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, with every police force in England and Wales required to introduce dedicated rape and sexual offence investigation teams.
Under the reforms, specialist investigators with dedicated training will replace more generalist approaches, addressing long-standing workforce gaps that have left many forces without the expertise needed to pursue complex sexual violence cases.
Ministers said the changes represent the largest investment in specialist capacity to tackle violence against women and girls to date.
The Home Office said the new approach will require forces to build and retain skilled investigative teams capable of supporting victims and pursuing perpetrators more effectively.
Alongside this, a new national network of online specialist officers will be created, backed by nearly £2m in funding, to target technologically sophisticated offenders and abuse taking place online.
Domestic abuse protection orders will also be rolled out nationwide, placing new enforcement responsibilities on police, courts and probation services.
These measures are expected to increase demand for specialist staff across policing and the wider criminal justice workforce, including those involved in monitoring compliance, electronic tagging and victim support.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the strategy marks a fundamental shift in how the state responds to violence against women and girls.
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 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.”
