Military personnel and civilians who experience
sexual assault, domestic abuse or stalking at the hands
of serving members of the Armed Forces will
receive stronger protections under the new Armed Forces
Bill.
The Bill, which is being debated in Parliament
today for its Second Reading, introduces
a suite of measures to protect victims of serious and sexual
offences within the Service Justice System. These include:
- New protective orders to enable swifter action
against perpetrators, reducing the risk of further harm to
victims of inappropriate sexualised behaviours,
domestic abuse, stalking and harassment.
- Stronger guidance and support to help victims provide an
informed view to prosecutors on whether they want their case
tried in civilian courts or the military system.
- The Bill will also give service police increased powers
for investigations, including introducing new
powers for Service police to authorise pre-charge custody.
Currently only commanding officers can authorise pre-charge
detention after arrest. This can create delays in the
investigation process, prevention the preservation of evidence or
risk further harm to victims and witnesses or to the suspect
themselves.
The Minister for Veterans and People,
Louise Sandher-Jones MP, said:
Having served in the Army, I recognise the challenges victims can
face when coming forward to report offences.
We will ensure there is nowhere to hide for those who commit
sexual violence. This Bill will strengthen protections for
victims of serious and sexual crime, ensuring they receive the
support they need and have a choice in how their case is handled.
Unacceptable and criminal behaviour has no place in our Armed
Forces. Defence will play our part in delivering on this
Government's commitment to halve violence against women and
girls, while recognising that abuse can affect anyone.
The new measures build on Defence's efforts to ensure the Service
Justice System champion a victim-centred approach.
This includes a pioneering
prevention programme introduced by the Government in
November 2025 to tackle the issue of unacceptable
sexual behaviour and harassment in our Armed Forces.
New prevention teams will operate from military sites
in North Yorkshire and Plymouth, delivering training
interventions to tackle the cultural
and behavioural root causes of unacceptable
sexual behaviour.
The measure supports the Government's mission to halve Violence
Against Women and Girls within a decade, while recognising that
abuse can happen to anyone regardless of gender.
It also follows the creation of the Victim Witness Care Unit
(VCWU) in 2023, which provides independent, trauma-informed, end
to end support to victims and witnesses of serious crime,
ensuring they receive the care and assistance they
deserve.
In the Service Justice System, adult
rape-flagged investigations are dealt with in
quicker time, as highlighted in figures from 2024. That
year, investigations in the civilian system took 338 days,
with 59% of victims withdrawing, but 148 days with a further 72
days until a charge is directed, in the Service Justice System
with 24% of victims withdrawing.
Whilst conviction rates cannot be reliably compared, published
data casts doubt on claims that the conviction rate is higher in
the Crown Court. The conviction rate in the Court Martial
for adult rape-flagged cases (excluding guilty pleas), is 51%
from 2022 to 2024 compared to 36% in the Crown Court in the
financial years 2022/23 to 2025.
These data points – in combination with the strengthened measures
introduced through
the Bill – demonstrate that the Service
Justice System delivers swifter justice for victims, helping more
cases to reach quicker conclusion and ensuring
victims' confidence that this is a system that
will support and protect them.
These measures sit alongside wider Armed Forces Bill provisions
including the creation of a new Defence Housing Service and
extending the Armed Forces Covenant across all areas of
government. There are also new powers to deter, detect and
defeat drone incursions over military sites.
