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Police warn against use of self swabbing kits – NCVPP & NPCC

‘Self swabbing’ rape and sexual assault kits present significant risk to victims

The National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) have issued a clear national position statement on the use of ‘self‑swabbing’ kits in unregulated environments following rape, warning that such kits present significant risk to victims, undermine safeguarding, and jeopardise the integrity of evidence.

Developed by the NCVPP, in collaboration with the NPCC Lead for Adult Sexual Offences Chief Constable Sarah Crew, the position statement reflects extensive engagement with forensic experts, investigative leads, victim and survivor specialist organisations and national voluntary sector and charitable organisations. It aligns with the published positions of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM), NHS England, the Association of Forensic Science Providers Body Fluid Forum and Rape Crisis England and Wales.

Self‑swabbing kits, marketed to victims of sexual offences, operate outside regulated clinical or forensic environments, raising serious concerns about contamination, evidential continuity, and the absence of any safeguarding or medical support.

Chief Constable Sarah Crew, NPCC Lead for Adult Sexual Offences, said:

“Self‑swabbing in unregulated environments is not compatible with the victim‑centred, suspect‑focused and context‑led approach that policing has committed to under Operation Soteria. Victims of rape and serious sexual assault deserve immediate access to specialist medical care, safeguarding, psychological support and accredited forensic processes. Asking victims to collect intimate evidence alone, at a moment of crisis, places an unfair burden on them and risks both their wellbeing and the integrity of any investigation. These kits can create false expectations, lead to re‑traumatisation and reduce trust in statutory services.

“Our national policing position is clear: forensic evidence gathered without continuity, control or clinical oversight is at high risk of being challenged in court and may ultimately be unusable. Diverting victims away from Sexual Assault Referral Centres removes critical opportunities for risk assessment, intelligence gathering and holistic care. Our priority is always to put victims’ needs first while relentlessly focusing on identifying, disrupting and prosecuting perpetrators and anything that undermines that risks allowing offenders to continue their behaviour.”

https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/statement-on-use-of-self-swabbing-after-rape-and-serious-sexual-assault

March 31, 2026

Police warn against use of self swabbing kits – NCVPP & NPCC

‘Self swabbing’ rape and sexual assault kits present significant risk to victims

The National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) have issued a clear national position statement on the use of ‘self‑swabbing’ kits in unregulated environments following rape, warning that such kits present significant risk to victims, undermine safeguarding, and jeopardise the integrity of evidence.

Developed by the NCVPP, in collaboration with the NPCC Lead for Adult Sexual Offences Chief Constable Sarah Crew, the position statement reflects extensive engagement with forensic experts, investigative leads, victim and survivor specialist organisations and national voluntary sector and charitable organisations. It aligns with the published positions of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM), NHS England, the Association of Forensic Science Providers Body Fluid Forum and Rape Crisis England and Wales.

Self‑swabbing kits, marketed to victims of sexual offences, operate outside regulated clinical or forensic environments, raising serious concerns about contamination, evidential continuity, and the absence of any safeguarding or medical support.

Chief Constable Sarah Crew, NPCC Lead for Adult Sexual Offences, said:

“Self‑swabbing in unregulated environments is not compatible with the victim‑centred, suspect‑focused and context‑led approach that policing has committed to under Operation Soteria. Victims of rape and serious sexual assault deserve immediate access to specialist medical care, safeguarding, psychological support and accredited forensic processes. Asking victims to collect intimate evidence alone, at a moment of crisis, places an unfair burden on them and risks both their wellbeing and the integrity of any investigation. These kits can create false expectations, lead to re‑traumatisation and reduce trust in statutory services.

“Our national policing position is clear: forensic evidence gathered without continuity, control or clinical oversight is at high risk of being challenged in court and may ultimately be unusable. Diverting victims away from Sexual Assault Referral Centres removes critical opportunities for risk assessment, intelligence gathering and holistic care. Our priority is always to put victims’ needs first while relentlessly focusing on identifying, disrupting and prosecuting perpetrators and anything that undermines that risks allowing offenders to continue their behaviour.”

https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/statement-on-use-of-self-swabbing-after-rape-and-serious-sexual-assault

March 31, 2026

Six in ten women say they were denied adequate care after miscarriage, new Miscarriage Association research reveals

Our major new report, Miscarriage in the UK, reveals that more than six in ten women (65%) say they did not receive adequate follow-up care after miscarriage.

The report, based on the experiences of more than 1,000 people affected by pre-24-week pregnancy loss across the UK, highlights widespread gaps in healthcare, workplace support and societal understanding. It paints a picture of care that is too often inconsistent, unequal and, at times, deeply distressing.

While half of respondents rated their care as good or excellent (34% and 16% respectively), more than a quarter (25.3%) described it as poor or very poor.

Alongside this:

  • 68% experienced mental health problems following miscarriage, including grief, depression, PTSD and suicidal thoughts.
  • 42% of women who wanted treatment for mental health symptoms did not receive it.
  • 65% said they did not receive adequate follow-up care.

Healthcare: inconsistent and inadequate

Women described care that varied dramatically depending on where they lived or which healthcare professional they saw. Many reported being sent home with little or no guidance, given conflicting advice, or misdiagnosed.

Access to Early Pregnancy Units, scans and investigations was often dependent on location or clinical discretion. Some respondents described undergoing emergency surgery after ectopic pregnancies were missed, including cases involving avoidable fertility loss.

A recurring theme was lack of dignity. Some women were left without basic provisions such as sanitary pads. Although 65% felt the language used by healthcare professionals was sensitive and appropriate, more than a quarter (26%) had the opposite experience.

One respondent described being told her baby had been “put in the incinerator with the rest of the medical waste.”

Another said her experience was: “Dehumanising – I had to bring the sac into hospital in a Tupperware box where it was treated like a specimen.”

Workplaces: limited support and poor awareness

The research also exposes significant gaps in workplace support:

  • 57% were not offered any formal support at work after disclosing pregnancy loss.
  • 48% said their employer did not have a pregnancy loss policy.
  • 28% were unsure whether such a policy existed.
  • 60% found their role or working environment emotionally triggering after returning to work.

Many employees were unaware of their rights around pregnancy-related sickness. Fear of stigma or career impact prevented some from disclosing their loss.

Society: silence and stigma persist

Beyond healthcare and employment, respondents described isolation in wider society. While friends and family were often supportive at first, support frequently faded over time. Some women lost friendships, and in some cases relationships broke down following miscarriage.

One respondent said:

“The most supportive friends were those that had been through it themselves. Some people, who I thought would be supportive basically just ignored me and those relationships have been damaged as a result.”

The findings highlight the urgent need for greater awareness, education and open conversation about pregnancy loss.

Our call for systemic change

We are calling for urgent action, including:

  • Routine follow-up care offered after every miscarriage.
  • Timely access to Early Pregnancy Units, including direct referrals and weekend availability.
  • Expanded bereavement care provision through specialist training.
  • Protected time for healthcare professionals to access compassionate communication training.
  • Guaranteed dignity and privacy in all hospital settings.
  • Full implementation of bereavement leave under the forthcoming Employment Rights Act, alongside stronger workplace pregnancy loss policies.
  • Action from the National Maternity Safety Investigation to ensure pre-24-week pregnancy loss is given equal prominence to later gestation outcomes.
  • A national effort to break the stigma surrounding pregnancy loss.

Read the full report at https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/blog/six-in-ten-women-say-they-were-denied-adequate-care-after-miscarriage/

See also

March 31, 2026

Six in ten women say they were denied adequate care after miscarriage, new Miscarriage Association research reveals

Our major new report, Miscarriage in the UK, reveals that more than six in ten women (65%) say they did not receive adequate follow-up care after miscarriage.

The report, based on the experiences of more than 1,000 people affected by pre-24-week pregnancy loss across the UK, highlights widespread gaps in healthcare, workplace support and societal understanding. It paints a picture of care that is too often inconsistent, unequal and, at times, deeply distressing.

While half of respondents rated their care as good or excellent (34% and 16% respectively), more than a quarter (25.3%) described it as poor or very poor.

Alongside this:

  • 68% experienced mental health problems following miscarriage, including grief, depression, PTSD and suicidal thoughts.
  • 42% of women who wanted treatment for mental health symptoms did not receive it.
  • 65% said they did not receive adequate follow-up care.

Healthcare: inconsistent and inadequate

Women described care that varied dramatically depending on where they lived or which healthcare professional they saw. Many reported being sent home with little or no guidance, given conflicting advice, or misdiagnosed.

Access to Early Pregnancy Units, scans and investigations was often dependent on location or clinical discretion. Some respondents described undergoing emergency surgery after ectopic pregnancies were missed, including cases involving avoidable fertility loss.

A recurring theme was lack of dignity. Some women were left without basic provisions such as sanitary pads. Although 65% felt the language used by healthcare professionals was sensitive and appropriate, more than a quarter (26%) had the opposite experience.

One respondent described being told her baby had been “put in the incinerator with the rest of the medical waste.”

Another said her experience was: “Dehumanising – I had to bring the sac into hospital in a Tupperware box where it was treated like a specimen.”

Workplaces: limited support and poor awareness

The research also exposes significant gaps in workplace support:

  • 57% were not offered any formal support at work after disclosing pregnancy loss.
  • 48% said their employer did not have a pregnancy loss policy.
  • 28% were unsure whether such a policy existed.
  • 60% found their role or working environment emotionally triggering after returning to work.

Many employees were unaware of their rights around pregnancy-related sickness. Fear of stigma or career impact prevented some from disclosing their loss.

Society: silence and stigma persist

Beyond healthcare and employment, respondents described isolation in wider society. While friends and family were often supportive at first, support frequently faded over time. Some women lost friendships, and in some cases relationships broke down following miscarriage.

One respondent said:

“The most supportive friends were those that had been through it themselves. Some people, who I thought would be supportive basically just ignored me and those relationships have been damaged as a result.”

The findings highlight the urgent need for greater awareness, education and open conversation about pregnancy loss.

Our call for systemic change

We are calling for urgent action, including:

  • Routine follow-up care offered after every miscarriage.
  • Timely access to Early Pregnancy Units, including direct referrals and weekend availability.
  • Expanded bereavement care provision through specialist training.
  • Protected time for healthcare professionals to access compassionate communication training.
  • Guaranteed dignity and privacy in all hospital settings.
  • Full implementation of bereavement leave under the forthcoming Employment Rights Act, alongside stronger workplace pregnancy loss policies.
  • Action from the National Maternity Safety Investigation to ensure pre-24-week pregnancy loss is given equal prominence to later gestation outcomes.
  • A national effort to break the stigma surrounding pregnancy loss.

Read the full report at https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/blog/six-in-ten-women-say-they-were-denied-adequate-care-after-miscarriage/

See also

March 31, 2026

New laws to protect victims of ‘honour’- based abuse – Home Office

Government takes decisive action by rapidly introducing a new legal definition for ‘honour’- based abuse.

Victims and survivors of ‘honour’- based abuse will be kept safer through a new legal definition and guidance to help improve how frontline professionals support victims and pursue perpetrators.

Recent statistics show that nearly 3,000 ‘honour’- based abuse related offences were recorded by the police in England and Wales in the year ending March 2025. However, due to the hidden nature of ‘honour’- based abuse, this is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg, as it is believed many of these harrowing incidents and crimes go unreported.

A legal definition of ‘honour’- based abuse has been brought into the government’s flagship Crime and Policing Bill. Alongside a power to issue crucial statutory guidance for authorities, the new legal definition will help the police, social workers and other public authorities better support victims, and set clear expectations for professionals with safeguarding responsibilities in the handling of these cases.

It will also help stop vital information, which could hold perpetrators to account in a criminal trial, from falling through the cracks.

The move is supported by over 60 charities, including Karma Nirvana, which has campaigned for these reforms since the tragic murder of Fawziyah Javed in 2021.

Fawziyah, from Leeds and pregnant at the time, was brutally killed when her husband pushed her from Arthur’s Seat, in a case that showcased how harmful ideas of perceived ‘dishonour’ can lead to tragedy.

Fawziyah experienced domestic abuse which was compounded by ‘honour’- based abuse in the lead-up to her death, highlighting the need to improve the way that statutory systems recognise this form of abuse.

‘Honour’-based abuse can include ‘honour’- motivated killings, female genital mutilation (FGM), and forced marriage, all which are crimes that often take place in deep secrecy.

The definition, alongside a power to issue statutory guidance, has been introduced via an amendment at Report stage of the Crime and Policing Bill in the House of Lords, making both measures law across England and Wales.

The bill aims to restore public confidence in the criminal justice system and drive forward the government’s highly ambitious missions to halve both knife crime and violence against women and girls within the next decade.

In addition, the Home Office is exploring the feasibility of a prevalence study for forced marriage and FGM, first announced in August, to better understand how widespread these crimes are, alongside a community engagement campaign encouraging victims to come forward.

These initiatives will help uncover the true scale of the abuse, ensure more victims receive the support they deserve, and bring the most dangerous offenders to justice.

The measures follow the publication of the VAWG Strategy in December, which unveils how every lever of the state is to be used to protect women and girls and halve VAWG crimes in a decade.

Excerpts from a longer press release at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-laws-to-protect-victims-of-honour-based-abuse

March 31, 2026