SEXUAL offences investigation officers will be moved into Bolton as the Greater Manchester central team is to be disbanded.

Greater Manchester Police's Serious Sexual Offences Unit officers are to be moved to divisional bases.

It has not yet been decided how many officers will go to each division and detectives in Bolton have been handling sexual offences investigations in the town while the handover takes place.

A petition has been started in response to the plans, stating that removal of the specialist unit could lead to a further reduction in rape convictions.

Almost 3,000 people have already signed the petition asking for the plans to be reversed.

GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said that moving the officers to a local level would allow them to provide significant support to victims and that there has been no central team investigating sexual violence for the past seven months.

He added: "Policing has changed dramatically over the past seven years. We have responded to the challenges of having 2,000 fewer officers and to the changing nature of crime with a very clear plan for the future of policing in Greater Manchester.

"This commits us to working in a much more integrated way with partners, which is in line with the Greater Manchester public service reform principals.

"It also means placing as many officers and staff at a local and borough level as possible and only centralising capability where it is so specialist that it is not cost effective to provide it any other way."

Latest figures show that 7,663 sexual offences were recorded in Greater Manchester in the year ending June 2017, an increase of 31 per cent on the previous year.

The unit is made up of one chief inspector, three detective inspectors, eight detective sergeants and 62 detective constables who will now be deployed locally.

Officers in the unit receive special training to ensure they treat victims with care and sensitivity throughout the investigation.

Mr Hopkins said: "GMP takes the investigation of sexual offences extremely seriously.

"We have specially trained detectives who work with victims to investigate allegations.

"We work in partnership with, and provide financial support to St Mary's, the best sexual assault referral centre in the country. We also work at a city and borough level with independent sexual violence advisors. This is all designed to provide the best possible support to victims of sexual violence."

During early contact with a victim, an officer will use an early evidence kit to collect evidence quickly.

The experienced officers are trained to put victims at ease as they discuss any intimate details of what has happened.

Sexual assault victims will continue to be referred to the Sexual Assault Referral Centre at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester.