The Home Secretary has announced the rollout of a ground-breaking DNA tool aimed at helping police catch rapists and sex offenders, giving victims and survivors faster justice. The government plans to invest £7 million into the technology, which has already proven highly effective abroad, dramatically increasing the identification of potential offenders while supporting both current and historic investigations.‍

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Tragically, in the past year alone, one in every eight women suffered domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. The Home Secretary is determined to ensure offenders are held accountable. Therefore, the government has committed to halving violence against women and girls within ten years.

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The DNA tool, called Y-STR profiling, allows investigators to examine the most serious offences, including rape and sexual assaults, by detecting even minute traces of male DNA that would otherwise go unnoticed. The forensic tool is particularly effective because it makes it easier to detect male DNA when it is mixed with female DNA than is currently possible, a situation that is common in rape and sexual assault cases.

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The expansion of the National DNA Database to include Y-STR, male specific, DNA profiles will further strengthen investigations. This will help police identify suspects faster, close cases sooner, and deliver justice for victims without unnecessary delay.

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The government intends to expand the use of this tool to aid police investigations, with a £7 million funding boost. It will be applied not only to new offences but is expected to reopen historic cases, helping police expose predators who have evaded justice for too long and ensure they face the consequences.
Similar technology has already produced significant results in Singapore, where adoption of the tool led to a more than 20% increase in the identification of potential offenders.

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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said:

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“This Government has declared violence against women and girls a national emergency. For too long, these crimes have been considered a fact of life. That's not good enough. We will halve it in a decade.”

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She continued,

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“We will deploy the latest tech to catch vile rapists and sex offenders, stopping them in their tracks. Abusers will have nowhere to hide.”

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The announcement coincides with the Home Secretary unveiling the most comprehensive reforms to rape and sexual assault investigations in generations. As part of the government’s violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy, all police forces are required to have dedicated rape and sexual offence investigation teams in place by 2029.

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Shabana Mahmood also confirmed that Domestic Abuse Protection Orders will be extended, allowing curfews, electronic tagging, and exclusion zones for abusers, with violations punishable by up to five years in prison. New covert online investigation squads will also be funded to target online predators.

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This follows previous progress by the government on tackling VAWG, including introducing facial recognition technology to help police capture dangerous sex offenders. In addition, Raneem’s Law has been implemented, embedding the first domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms to improve response times and victim support.
Last year, the Home Office announced several measures to combat stalking and enhance support for victims, such as allowing women to discover the identity of online stalkers. The government has also pledged to make strangulation a criminal offence under the Crime and Policing Bill.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, help and support are available. You can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, available 24/7, for free and confidential advice.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you are not alone and support is available. You can contact Rape Crisis for free, confidential support.

If you or someone you know is being stalked or harassed, support is available. If you are in immediate danger, contact the police by calling 999. You can also report stalking by calling 101, or contact the Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s National Stalking Helpline.