Police force tries out live chat for domestic abuse victims
Suffolk Police says it has successfully piloted online live chat in what it termed a revolutionary way to safely communicate with victims of domestic abuse. The trial scheme generated many repeat conversations with the force which, it says, showed users found the platform engaging and useful, As the average conversation length was 40 minutes, that […]
DA specialists start helping Northumbria Police’s call handlers
Domestic abuse professionals from Wearside Women in Need and Harbour are now in Northumbria Constabulary’s control rooms alongside officers to support victims during peak times, namely weekend nights. Their presence is being funded by the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner’s office. “Having these specialists on hand supporting our police means we can seize the opportunity […]
Faster Clare’s Law disclosure proposed
Police forces in England and Wales will have 28 days to release information requested through the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) if new home office guidance is adopted. The current guideline is 35 days. Better known as Clare’s Law, the scheme allows people to discover their partner’s criminal history and therefore if their partner poses […]
Police watchdog identifies DA weakness in Kent
Kent Police’s response to domestic abuse is of particular concern, according to Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, Roy Wilsher, who also accepts the force is taking steps to improve its handling of such cases. “The force is rightly proud of some of its work protecting vulnerable people. However, domestic abuse investigation teams have not been […]
Police officers accused of DA keep their jobs
An investigation has shown eight out of ten police employees accused of domestic abuse are still working with their force. They are also less likely to face prosecution. Freedom of information requests made by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and broadcaster ITV revealed only 36 of the more than 1,300 officers and staff reported for […]
Survey reveals extent grown-up children abuse their parents
A study into the near-70,000 domestic abuse cases reported to Lancashire police in the 27 months to February 2021 found one-in-ten (10.7%) were committed by people aged 16 and over towards a parental figure. Previous studies have primarily focused on adolescent perpetrators, but the fresh research suggests it is not just them who abuse their […]
Met arrest 1,500-plus in crackdown on DA and violence
Police officers across London arrested 1,504 people and issued 560 charges related to domestic abuse, stalking, rape, harassment and other offences in 16 days of action to tackle domestic abuse and violence. They also issued 165 cautions and 87 restrictive orders plus handled 62 Clare’s Law applications. The outcome was an amplification of what goes […]
Project Shield speeds up police response to NMOs
A pilot scheme in North Yorkshire has improved how police officers and safeguarding professionals provide back up support to non-molestation orders (NMOs) issued to domestic abuse survivors, according to the county’s police force. “The new ways of working identified by Project Shield have enabled us to respond more effectively when victims report breaches of their […]
Police-NHS scheme helps 1,000-plus DA victims
A Lancashire Constabulary initiative in which independent domestic violence advocates (IDVAs) accompany officers responding to reports of domestic abuse has now supported more than 1,000 victims. Operation Provide was launched March last year at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, when official government advice was to isolate and stay at home, to offer additional support […]
Police inspectorate calls for greater priority on tackling violence against women
Police should give as much importance to combatting the “epidemic” of violence against women and girls (VAWG) as to terrorism and county lines drug trafficking, says the police inspectorate. But the watchdog also accepts the police cannot tackle VAWG alone: the whole system, the police, criminal justice system, and the health, education and local authorities, […]
