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Policing Position Statement: The use of ‘Self-Swabbing’ in Rape and Serious Sexual Assault

Stock image of a high-ranking police officer

In December, we published a joint Statement of Concern around Self-Swab ‘Rape Kits’ with signatories from our member organisations as well as the wider sexual violence sector:

Read the Joint Statement

We jointly with Rape Crisis England & Wales, We Are Survivors. and others expressed our shared concerns about the sale, promotion and use of self-swab ‘rape kits’ by victims/survivors.

Today, the National Police Chiefs’​ Council released their Positioning Statement which has been developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Public Protection, and the NPCC Lead for Adult Sexual Offences, Chief Constable Sarah Crew.

We’re pleased that the NPCC shares the sector’s concerns on ‘self-swabbing kits: ‘The use of ‘self‑swabbing’ kits in unregulated environments presents significant risks and does not align with evidence‑based, trauma‑informed practice. Every investigation should be victim-centred, suspect-focused and context-led.

Read their full statement:

Policing Position Statement on ‘self-swabbing’Download

Link to the statement on their website

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