Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 49
49
Deferred
Paragraph: 120
Encourage forces to establish specialist police rape and sexual offence teams with resources.
Conclusion
We repeat our previous recommendation, made in our report on “The investigation and prosecution of rape”, that the Government strongly encourage forces without specialist police rape and sexual offence teams to put such teams in place and with sufficient resource, including capacity for ongoing training and development.
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on initiatives to reduce the redaction burden in digital evidence, including a working group, simplified guidance, funding for automated redaction tools, and a pilot, but does not address the recommendation for specialist police rape and sexual offence teams.
Paragraph Reference:
120
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
118. The Home Office is leading a Redaction Working Group, which brings together officials from HO, MoJ, AGO, CPS and policing representatives to explore solutions to the redaction burden. The Group has developed simplified guidance to boost officers’ confidence when applying DPA. 119. We are also providing funding to the PDS and Home Office ACE to develop, test and procure on a new framework automated redaction products, which will reduce the time it takes to redact text and audiovisual files. 120. Further, we are working to set up a pilot of a revised process that will streamline and reduce the redaction burden, within current legislation. We are also exploring legislative options for a redaction ‘bubble’.