Improvement of the investigation of sexually motivated crimes
By March 2026, the College of Policing and the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection, working with the National Police Chiefs' Council and the Crown Prosecution Service, should create a consistent and clear standard for police investigations in this area, explicitly addressing the detection of predatory perpetrators. The Home Secretary should give consideration to using her powers under section 53A of the Police Act 1996 to mandate police forces to follow particular procedures and practices.
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Jess Phillips made a written statement to Parliament (HCWS1122) on 2 December 2025 accepting all 13 Part 2 recommendations, announcing £13.1 million in funding to deliver a coordinated approach through the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection, and committed to putting police vetting standards on a statutory footing (Written Statement HCWS1122, 2 December 2025).
- The recommendation was accepted less than 4 months ago at the time of this assessment.
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedParliamentary Under-Secretary of State Jess Phillips made a written statement to Parliament (HCWS1122) on 2 December 2025 accepting all 13 Part 2 recommendations. The government announced £13.1 million in funding to deliver a coordinated approach through the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection, and committed to putting police vetting standards on a statutory footing to exclude those with cautions or convictions for violence against women and girls offences. The government pledged to halve violence against women and girls within a decade and to embed expertise from programmes such as Operation Soteria and Project Vigilant across police forces.