It’s never ‘just a domestic’ – police culture must change now
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Version 0 of 1. Domestic violence is a serious crime, so serious that two women a week are killed by a partner or ex-partner. As Yvette Cooper stated today, if this level of violence happened at football matches there would be a national outcry. Yet the response we see from society can range from disinterest to victim blaming. “Why didn’t she leave?” is asked time and again, despite statistics showing that the most dangerous time for an abused woman is when she tries to get out of the relationship. Figures have been released today that show a rising number of domestic violence incidents are being dealt with through community resolution orders, despite guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) that they are rarely suitable for incidents of domestic violence. These orders are issued by the police officer called in to deal with a crime instead of the offence going on to prosecution. The officer decides on the manner in which the offender can redeem themselves; by making an apology, for example, or paying a fine. This fits into a wider picture of inappropriate police responses to domestic violence, as highlighted in the report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) released in March. That report reveals that there are “alarming and unacceptable weaknesses” in some core policing activity, in particular the quality of initial investigation undertaken by responding officers when called to a scene. It also flags up an inconsistent approach to how criminal justice sanctions are pursued and reveals that the ways perpetrators are identified and the risk they pose is managed is underdeveloped in most forces. The use of community resolution orders is just one example of this inconsistency. Domestic violence is a complex issue, which is often misunderstood. It is a pattern of controlling behaviour and not an isolated incident. Domestic violence is a gendered crime where a perpetrator coerces and controls their partner: 89% of those experiencing repeat instances of domestic violence are women, and women are significantly more likely to experience sexual abuse and multiple kinds of abuse. The crime has high rates of repeat victimisation and involves serial perpetrators; most women experience more than 30 instances of physical violence before they will report to the police any of what is being done to them, and evidence shows that if domestic violence is not taken seriously when it is brought to the attention of the authorities, this results in further and even lethal violence. Unfortunately, the vast majority of police officers have no specialist training in domestic violence – even many of those who work in specialist domestic violence units. This has led to a situation where many officers lack the necessary supervision, knowledge and skills to tackle domestic violence effectively. Even worse, in many forces there is a damaging culture, based on a lack of training and understanding, in which the experiences of victims are minimised and treated with disbelief. This can empower perpetrators who do not face effective sanction or intervention by the police, and further discourage women from reporting violence to the police. Community resolutions can have a very negative impact on vulnerable women and children when used in cases of domestic violence. They do not keep them safe and they do not act as a deterrent. Face-to-face reparations – such as making a perpetrator apologise – give them opportunities to further intimidate and terrorise their victims, and fines can reduce the family income, thus punishing the woman and her children too. As they are used only for minor crimes, they also send the message that domestic violence will not be taken seriously. Perpetrators and survivors must believe that strong action will be taken if the criminal justice response is to be credible and effective. Because of the HMIC report, every police force must establish and publish an action plan on domestic violence by September. We at Women’s Aid are working with Acpo, HMIC and a number of forces to ensure that those plans include specialist-led, regular training for all officers. Such training is essential if officers and forces are to be able to understand domestic violence when they see it, and respond appropriately. Training is the first step in creating the culture change so vitally needed to ensure police officers do not continue to see any assault as “just a domestic”, and respond with a slap on the wrist. Such a culture change is also required to ensure officers focus first and foremost on ensuring the victim is safe, and is properly referred to specialist services which can offer them ongoing support. Much greater understanding of domestic violence is needed if we are ever to prevent the needless and deliberate suffering and loss of life that perpetrators of domestic violence inflict. |