All 43 police forces in England and Wales join Operation Soteria to tackle rape and serious sexual offences.

The Home Secretary has announced that all 43 forces in England and Wales have signed up to Operation Soteria, the transformational change program tackling rape and serious sexual offences.
 
Lancashire Constabulary was one of 14 forces to join the expansion programme for Operation Soteria Bluestone in September 2022 and will be implementing the National Operating Model, developed through the programme, ensuring investigations are victim-centred, suspect-focused and context-led.  
 
Lancashire has concentrated on its approach to rape and serious sexual offences over the last 18 months. We have implemented dedicated RASSO teams to ensure staff with the appropriate training take ownership of investigations and look after victims.
 
We have developed our capability to extract data from digital devices and we have worked closely with victim services to provide dedicated support and with the Crown Prosecution Service to maximise opportunities for prosecution.
 
In the last two years, pilot forces on the programme has seen positive change for victims including a reduction in cases ending due to victim withdrawal, an increase in cases being referred to the CPS and an increase in the volume of cases charged. All 43 forces have now signed up to implement the National Operating Model, developed through Operation Soteria which transforms the way police investigates rape. Forces will gain access to a bespoke hub which will include guidance on identifying and disrupting repeat offenders, support to improve decision making processes, assets to progress cases more effectively, enable forces to better meet the needs of victims, and ensure investigative focus shifts to the actions of the suspect.
Chief Inspector Mark Dickinson, from the force’s Public Protection Unit, is leading on Op Soteria. He said: “Operation Soteria has helped Lancashire to break down our collective response to RASSO investigation into 6 key areas as identified by the Soteria Team. Our dedicated RASSO teams continue to support victims, while remaining suspect focussed in their investigations.
“Working closely with our counterparts at CPS North West RASSO Unit, we have improved our collaborative approach to the prosecution of RASSO perpetrators. Officers and lawyers from the CPS are now discussing cases at regular intervals from the early stages of the investigation, through to the point of trial. This approach is positively impacting on outcomes and also the timeliness of RASSO investigations.
“Lancashire Constabulary is committed to continual improvement in our response to reports of rape and sexual offences.”
 
Operation Soteria Bluestone was first piloted in Avon and Somerset Police at the beginning of 2021, as a response to the government End-to-End Rape Review. The expansion programme in September 2022 then built on the learning identified from the five initial Operation Soteria Bluestone forces; Metropolitan Police Service, Durham Constabulary, West Midlands Police and South Wales Police.
 
Police forces involved in the expansion of Operation Soteria Bluestone were: Devon & Cornwall, Gwent, Dyfed-Powys, North Wales, Northumbria, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Kent, Dorset and Sussex. This work has resulted in the new National Operating Model for use by all 43 Home Office police forces across England and Wales. 

Andrew Snowden, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire said: "It is great to see all forces now signed up to Op Soteria, which we have been at the forefront of here in Lancashire as part of our efforts to improve the response to rape and serious sexual offences. 
“Tackling sexual violence is a priority in my Fighting Crime Plan and I have invested in the establishment of a dedicated rape and serious sexual offences team, meaning 45 extra officers joined existing colleagues to form three Rape and Serious Sexual Assault Offences (RASSO) teams, one in each of our policing divisions with the purpose of specialising in and investigating offences of rape.
“Op Soteria is a great opportunity to strengthen the policing response to rape and serious sexual assault here in Lancashire and build in long-term, lasting improvements to how these horrific and traumatic crimes are dealt with to ensure we put offenders behind bars, secure justice for victims and protect the public.”