World News

UK government accelerates plan for specialist sex offence police units to 2027

Specialist investigators will be deployed across all police forces in England and Wales 18 months ahead of the original schedule.

Updated Aug 27, 2026 · 22:20 UTC1 reports

The short version

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that every police force in England and Wales will have specialist rape and sexual offence investigators by the end of 2027.
The 2027 target accelerates the previous government rollout timeline by 18 months from its original summer 2029 deadline.
Up to 10 police forces will also share £13.3 million in funding to strengthen teams managing protection orders, which include electronic monitoring and exclusion zones.
Charity Refuge welcomed the move but warned that protection orders remain underenforced and urged broader efforts to rebuild survivors' trust in police.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that specialist investigators for rape and sex offences will be active in every police force in England and Wales by the end of 2027.[BBC News]
The updated schedule accelerates the Home Office's previous deployment deadline of summer 2029 by 18 months.[BBC News]
A £13.3 million funding pool will be distributed among up to 10 police forces to support units overseeing protection orders.[BBC News]
Protection orders managed by these police teams include measures such as electronic monitoring and offender exclusion zones.[BBC News]
Refuge policy head Ellie Butt stated that protection orders are currently underutilised and that enforcement is frequently inadequate.[BBC News]

Which specific 10 police forces will receive a share of the £13.3 million funding pot has not been detailed.[BBC News]
The upcoming findings of Justice Secretary Alex Norris's review into the prison early release scheme and its final eligibility criteria remain pending.[BBC News]