Specialist teams to tackle abuse at military bases

Specialist teams to tackle unacceptable behaviour and sexual violence in the military are being sent to bases in Yorkshire and Devon.

The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) taskforce teams will be embedded at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire as well as HM Naval Base in Devonport.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said civilian experts would work with service personnel to identify cultural and behavioural issues that contributed to sexual violence.

The teams would be on site for 12 months, working alongside service personnel, "assessing root causes and organisational factors contributing to sexual violence", according to the MoD.

The taskforce would be part of a wider push that also included a major boost to victim support, a spokesperson said.

The teams would "design targeted, evidence-led interventions - from training and scenario-based workshops to bystander-focused activity and unit-specific tools", the MoD spokesperson explained.

"This approach reflects a deliberate shift from reacting to incidents after they occur towards preventing harm before it starts," they said.

Further rollouts, including at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire and bases in Cyprus, were planned subject to evidence of impact, the MoD said.

Meanwhile, more than £500,000 had been invested to create five permanent roles in the Victim Witness Care Unit, which the MoD said would allow it to support about 100 more cases each year.

The unit provides independent, trauma-informed help to victims and witnesses of serious crime, separate from the military chain of command.

Louise Sandher-Jones, minister for veterans and people, said: "Those who serve deserve to work in an environment where they are safe, supported and valued.

"This investment strengthens the support available to victim-survivors of serious crime and puts specialist prevention teams in place to tackle unacceptable behaviour before it causes harm."