HOME secretary Priti Patel visited Avon and Somerset Police's headquarters in Portishead yesterday (August 24). 

Ms Patel met representatives from the police force and its partners who are working to improve its responses to rape and other sexual offences.

The home secretary also saw inside a £50,000 digital forensics van (digi-van), introduced to help rape victims by making investigations quicker.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson said: “Home secretary Priti Patel visited our headquarters yesterday to meet representatives from the force and partner agencies who are working together to improve the way we respond to and investigate rape and sexual offences.”

After her visit, Ms Patel tweeted: “Grateful for the pioneering work on rape and sexual offence investigations being undertaken at Avon and Somerset Police. 

“By listening to victims (and) making investigations less intrusive, we'll make sure the brave people who come forward aren't let down and rapists are put behind bars, where they belong.”

She said it was “a proud moment” to see inside the digi-van, adding: “These allow forces to analyse phone data faster, helping the victim by speeding up rape investigations.”

The Home Office has funded the purchase of 21 digital forensics vans across the country through its Tech Uplift funding. 

Digi-vans help police officers gather evidence and improve the policing experience for victims of rape or serious sexual assault.

According to Northamptonshire Police, they remove the need for officers or investigators to take away and retain a victim's mobile phone for forensic analysis.

The unmarked vans give officers easier access to tools and technology that lets them examine digital devices at any location and return them immediately after processing.

Last month, Ms Patel ruled herself out of the Conservative Party leadership race to replace prime minister Boris Johnson.

In a statement released on July 12, she said: “I am grateful for the encouragement and support colleagues and party members have offered me in recent days in suggesting that I enter the contest for the leadership of the Conservative Party.

“I will not be putting my name forward for the ballot of MPs.

“As Home Secretary I have always put the security and safety of our country and the national interest first and my focus is to continue working to get more police on our streets, support our amazing security services to keep our country safe and control our borders.”

Ms Patel has not endorsed either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss, who are the two remaining candidates to replace Mr Johnson.