‘Broad definition’ of domestic violence and lack of resources is perpetuating ‘postcode lottery’ police response

1st August 2025Sarah Gibbons, Contributing Editor, Policing Insight

Despite many initiatives to tackle the high volume and harm of domestic abuse, victim-survivors are still being failed, says a new report, with a definition of domestic violence that is “too broad for effective operational policing”, a lack of resources to deal with growing and increasingly complex demand, and a risk assessment system that is “not fit for purpose” among the main barriers to improving service delivery, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

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‘Broad definition’ of domestic violence and lack of resources is perpetuating ‘postcode lottery’ police response

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