The government has announced £426,000 of new funding for the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) Programme.
The funding will be used to extend access to its Capabilities Environment, a suite of investigative apps and tools, to every police force in England and Wales. 13 currently already have access.
The TOEX Capabilities Environment expansion supports the first phase of Operation Beaconport, the new national policing operation announced following Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
Police will now be able to access the tools to assist with any criminal investigation in their force. So far, the 13 forces which have access to them have used them 12,500 times. This has saved over £20 million and 16,000 investigator hours.
This includes access to the Data Analysis and Review Tool, which analyses large amounts of digital data to identify communications patterns and relationships between suspects; and TOEX Translate, a tool for the bulk translation of foreign language text from seized mobile devices.
Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, said: "The sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes and we must punish perpetrators, provide justice for victims and survivors, and protect today’s children from harm.
"In June, this government responded to Baroness Casey’s report by announcing a national inquiry to direct targeted local reviews, alongside a new national police operation – measures that will deliver real results – and we’ve wasted no time in making these happen.
"Baroness Casey flagged the need to upgrade police information systems to improve investigations and safeguard children at risk. Today we are investing in these critical tools."
Deputy Chief Constables Becky Riggs, NPCC lead for child protection and abuse investigation and Dave McLaren, NPCC lead for the national intelligence portfolio, said: "This funding gives every force access to proven tools that make a real difference in our ability to investigate complex crimes, safeguard victims, and pursue offenders more effectively.
"The TOEX Programme is a powerful example of what we can achieve when we combine operational insight with innovative technology. The national rollout of these tools will improve outcomes for victims and deliver a more consistent, intelligence-led approach across the country."
