England and Wales are set to enhance protection for children, vulnerable adults, and young people by equipping all police forces with cutting-edge investigative technology funded through the Home Office.

The Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme has received a £426,000 grant to expand its Capabilities Environment—a suite of AI-enabled investigative tools—so that all 43 police forces across England and Wales will have access, building upon the 13 forces currently using it.

🚨 What It Means in Practice

• The tools have already been deployed over 12,500 times, saving more than £20 million and over 16,000 investigator hours in existing forces.

• With national rollout, usage and impact are expected to rise sharply.

Integrated into Operation Beaconport

This expansion coincides with the launch of Operation Beaconport, a new national policing initiative led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and supported by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the CSE Taskforce. It stems from Baroness Casey’s recent audit on group-based child sexual exploitation.

Operation Beaconport is already reviewing over 1,200 closed group-based CSE cases, instructing police forces to reopen cases where investigations were improperly closed, and prompting the Crown Prosecution Service to reassess prior charging decisions.

AI-Enabled Tools at Work

Officers nationwide will now access tools such as:

• Data Analysis and Review Tool (DART): processes large volumes of digital data to reveal communication patterns and suspect relationships

• TOEX Translate: supports bulk translation of foreign texts from mobile devices seized during investigations

Deputy Chief Constables Becky Riggs and Dave McLaren emphasise that this initiative ensures reliable, intelligence-led investigations countrywide and strengthens outcomes for victims.

Expert and Survivor Community Support

• Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, confirmed the move reflects urgency in penalising perpetrators, delivering justice, and safeguarding children from exploitation by grooming gangs.

• TOEX Director Kate Thacker reaffirmed the programme’s commitment to backing law enforcement in addressing complex organised exploitation, as identified in Baroness Casey’s audit.

• Vicki Green, CEO of the Marie Collins Foundation, praised the investment in AI tools for their ability to uncover abuse patterns and accelerate justice.

• Gabrielle Shaw, CEO of NAPAC, welcomed the intelligence-led and trauma-informed approach made possible by TOEX tools, highlighting their relevance in enhancing outcomes for those affected by exploitation.

Improving Transparency and Public Confidence

As part of the broader “Plan for Change”, the government is also urging police to improve data collection—such as suspect ethnicity—and enhance transparency and accountability.

This technology upgrade is one of several reforms aimed at rebuilding public trust in policing and ensuring offender investigations are equitable, evidence-based, and free from bias or fear of community tensions.

📅 What’s Next

• Future updates on Operation Beaconport and the national inquiry will be released in coming weeks.

• The independent Commission on Grooming Gangs will launch under the Inquiries Act, coordinating targeted local investigations and overseeing institutional accountability in historic cases of group-based CSE.

With these measures, the government aims to equip all forces with robust tools, interrogate past failures, and ensure a more unified, survivor-centred response to child sexual exploitation.