Force supporting new national policing model to improve investigations into sexual offences

We're supporting a new national programme to tackle rape and serious sexual offences.

The Home Secretary has announced today (Monday) that all 43 forces have signed up to Operation Soteria - the transformational change program tackling rape and serious sexual offences.

We will be implementing the National Operating Model, developed through the programme, ensuring investigations are victim-centred, suspect-focused, and context-led.  

What is Operation Soteria?

It is a collaborative programme which bought together 19 police forces - including Warwickshire Police, which was among the first forces to take part - 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.

We’re also increasing capacity in cyber and digital media intelligence and investigation and our new Prevention Hub due to come online in September will focus on designing out high-risk threats before it happens in our communities.

Protecting people from harm is a joint effort and we know we must work closely with partners and communities to achieve this.

Through involvement in Op Soteria, we come together with academics and policy experts to use new insight and strategies to build more effective investigations and deliver lasting improvements to improve the experiences of victims.

We welcome the new national operating model as a valuable tool to bring to our partnership work to continue to strengthen our collective ability to support and protect victims of rape and sexual assault in Warwickshire.

Building on the work of Op Soteria, it is our aspiration that all women and girls who live, work, socialise or study in Warwickshire to not only be safe but feel safe, whether that is in public spaces, at home or online.

Women and girls should be able to live confidently, without feeling frightened, intimidated, or harassed.

It is a critical mission for policing and for Warwickshire to prevent violence against women and girls in the first place.

We’re also committed to making improvements to our investigations, to improving the experiences of victims and to ensuring our communities can be confident that perpetrators will be brought to justice. 

We always strongly encourage anyone who is a victim of rape or sexual assault to report it as soon as possible. Even if you’re not 100% sure, we’d sooner hear from you so that we can make sure you’re safe.

If you’re not ready to talk to the police, that’s ok: there are a range of places to get confidential support, advice and medical help. See more details on our website: Support for victims of rape and sexual assault | Warwickshire Police

Issued: Laura Maltby, Corporate Communications