Record numbers complete training to strengthen police response to non-contact sexual offending

EMBARGOED - 00.01 - TUESDAY 10 NOVEMBER

More than 130,000 officers and staff have completed College of Policing training to strengthen the nationwide police response to non-contact sexual offences, making it the College’s most successful digital training ever. 

The victim-centred training forms part of policing’s wider work in England and Wales to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) and support the government’s ambition to halve VAWG.  

It was developed in response to recommendations from the Angiolini Inquiry, which called for improvements to police guidance and training on indecent exposure and the way cases were investigated and managed. 

More than half of the policing workforce have now completed the College’s one-hour digital course since its launch in February 2025. 

The milestone was highlighted at a national learning event on 3 November, hosted jointly by the College and the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP). This brought together a victim, frontline investigator and specialist expertise to analyse a successful NCSO prosecution, and improve understanding of offences including indecent exposure, upskirting and voyeurism. 

NCSO victim Dorothea told delegates how her brave decision to report what happened to her helped British Transport Police officers identify a dangerous sexual predator. She described the effect of the incident, and the importance of listening to those who report offences. 

She said: “Just because he didn’t touch me doesn’t mean what he was doing wasn’t violating. These offences can have a real and lasting impact, and victims need to know that when they report what has happened, they will be listened to, believed and taken seriously. 

“That’s why this training matters. I want officers and staff to understand what it feels like to be on the other side of that report and how much difference their response can make. This awareness needs to spread, not just through policing but more widely across society, because people need to recognise these offences for what they are.” 

Detective Chief Superintendent Jamie Daniels, Crime and Criminal Justice Delivery Lead at the College of Policing, said:  

“Sometimes we can think that non-contact sexual offences could lead to more serious offending. But these are already serious offences. That's the starting point. The question is how we deal with them, prevent them and deter them.  

 “When someone has built the courage to come forward, we need to make sure they know they've done the right thing, that they are being taken seriously and that we will do everything we can to find out who's responsible.  

 “We have to make sure that every time we have an interaction with a victim or a survivor, it counts." 

The training helps officers and staff understand the impact of these offences, recognise patterns of offending and improve the response to victims. This reinforces that offences sometimes previously dismissed as low-level can cause lasting harm and may form part of a wider pattern of sexual offending. 

The national webinar was attended by more than 450 people from police forces and constabularies, alongside national policing and partner organisations. It focused on the importance of taking reports seriously, gathering evidence effectively and considering whether an incident may form part of a wider pattern of offending. 

NOTE TO EDITORS 

• Dorothea is available for selected media interviews to talk about her personal experience of NCSO. Contact nick.codling@college.police.uk. 
• The innovative College of Policing training uses direct victim experiences and practical policing scenarios to help officers and staff recognise the severe impact of NCSO. It helps investigators identify risk, gather evidence, focus investigations on the behaviour of suspects and more successfully prosecute offenders. 
• There is clear evidence of the training making a difference on the frontline. In Lancashire, officers investigating indecent exposure involving a child in a park used learning reinforced through the training to recognise the risk posed by the suspect and act quickly. 
• The webinar was delivered through the ongoing partnership between the College and the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection, which supports forces to improve investigations, strengthen support for victims and bring more perpetrators to justice.