WARWICKSHIRE Police is supporting a new national programme to tackle rape and serious sexual offences.
The Home Secretary announced this week that all 43 forces have signed up to Operation Soteria – the transformational change programme tackling rape and serious sexual offences.
The aim of the program is to ensure investigations are victim-centred, suspect-focused, and context-led.
Operation Soteria has bought together police forces and academics to understand and tackle the challenges seen in rape and serious sexual offences investigations.
Together, officers and academics have developed a new National Operating Model which will be implemented by all police forces in England and Wales.
Launched in 2021 as part of the government’s end-to-end rape review, Operation Soteria is a Home Office funded research and change programme, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
In the coming weeks, a joint Home Office and NPCC Unit, will begin overseeing implementation of the model.
In support of this, Warwickshire has implemented a new policing model, increasing the number of specialist officers focused on domestic abuse, rape and serious sexual offences, child abuse, trafficking, and exploitation.
The force is also increasing capacity in cyber and digital media intelligence and investigation and its new Prevention Hub, due to come online in September, will focus on designing out high-risk threats before it happens in local communities.
Building on the work of Op Soteria, it is Warwickshire Police’s aspiration that all women and girls who live, work, socialise or study in the county will not only be safe but feel safe, whether that is in public spaces, at home or online.
