BBC News
·27 Aug 2026
Rape and sex offence specialists on all police forces by 2027, PM says
The UK government says specialist rape and sexual-offence investigators will be operating across every police force in England and Wales by the end of 2027, 18 months earlier than previously planned. Up to 10 forces will share £13.3m to strengthen teams overseeing protection orders, including electronic monitoring and exclusion zones. Refuge welcomed the acceleration but said it addressed only a small part of the support survivors need, citing underused orders, weak enforcement and low confidence in policing. The announcement comes amid continuing scrutiny of the prison early-release scheme and concerns about the treatment of domestic-abuse offenders.