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21/09/2015
New Domestic Abuse Guidelines Issued For Police
Police in England and Wales are to be given guidance on how to spot patterns of domestic abuse and how to pursue prosecutions without relying on victims.
The guidance has been issued by the College of Policing as statistics show a woman is, on average, assaulted 35 times before her first call to police.
The Authorised Professional Practice directly addresses for the first time senior officers about their responsibilities to maintain a body of specialist officers to deal with cases of abuse and ensure that pathways to support for victims are clear.
It emphasises the importance of solely evidence-led prosecutions instead of relying on victims to build the case and focuses on the dynamics of abusive relationships and coercive control, a new offence expected to come into force later this year.
Unlike previous guidance, it includes a section aimed primarily at supporting first responders at an incident who must deal with criminal offences, conduct a risk assessment and safeguard the victim.
The College is also releasing a toolkit to support first responders, along with checklists for call handlers and front counter staff when contacted about domestic abuse.
College of Policing lead for crime and criminal justice, David Tucker, said: "Domestic abuse is a pervasive problem across the UK involving both men and women and officers do exemplary work in safeguarding victims and bringing offenders to justice.
"To tackle a domestic abuse case successfully, police need to see the big picture behind an individual incident. This depends on officers being properly trained and having access to information about both the victim and the perpetrator; effective and accurate risk management, partnership working and information sharing. The failure of any of these links can be the difference between life and death for a victim.
"Our research indicated the need for a culture change within policing attitudes towards domestic abuse. Sometimes police cannot understand why a victim would stay in an abusive relationships. There are dozens of reasons why victims feel unable to leave or support prosecution. It is the responsibility of the perpetrator to stop the abuse and the responsibility of the police to bring the perpetrator to justice – the victim is not responsible for either.
"Officers need to investigate domestic abuse proactively and our APP and toolkits, as well as our training programmes and research, are designed to help them do that."
(MH/LM)
The guidance has been issued by the College of Policing as statistics show a woman is, on average, assaulted 35 times before her first call to police.
The Authorised Professional Practice directly addresses for the first time senior officers about their responsibilities to maintain a body of specialist officers to deal with cases of abuse and ensure that pathways to support for victims are clear.
It emphasises the importance of solely evidence-led prosecutions instead of relying on victims to build the case and focuses on the dynamics of abusive relationships and coercive control, a new offence expected to come into force later this year.
Unlike previous guidance, it includes a section aimed primarily at supporting first responders at an incident who must deal with criminal offences, conduct a risk assessment and safeguard the victim.
The College is also releasing a toolkit to support first responders, along with checklists for call handlers and front counter staff when contacted about domestic abuse.
College of Policing lead for crime and criminal justice, David Tucker, said: "Domestic abuse is a pervasive problem across the UK involving both men and women and officers do exemplary work in safeguarding victims and bringing offenders to justice.
"To tackle a domestic abuse case successfully, police need to see the big picture behind an individual incident. This depends on officers being properly trained and having access to information about both the victim and the perpetrator; effective and accurate risk management, partnership working and information sharing. The failure of any of these links can be the difference between life and death for a victim.
"Our research indicated the need for a culture change within policing attitudes towards domestic abuse. Sometimes police cannot understand why a victim would stay in an abusive relationships. There are dozens of reasons why victims feel unable to leave or support prosecution. It is the responsibility of the perpetrator to stop the abuse and the responsibility of the police to bring the perpetrator to justice – the victim is not responsible for either.
"Officers need to investigate domestic abuse proactively and our APP and toolkits, as well as our training programmes and research, are designed to help them do that."
(MH/LM)
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