Domestic abuse/family violence

ANALYSIS: New research from the University of Calgary shows that three-quarters of men charged with domestic violence (DV) have already interacted with police at least once, with two thirds showing a clear trajectory of increasing police interactions in the lead up to their DV charge; Associate Professor Lana Wells believes this data around perpetrators offers an opportunity to intervene early and prevent the escalation of violence.

INNOVATION: With domestic abuse (DA) now recognised as a policing priority for UK forces, a new approach to tackling the issue has been launched by Dyfed Powys Police, with neighbourhood policing teams adopting the 4Ps model (prepare, protect, prevent, pursue) usually associated with terrorism and organised crime to provide an improved service to medium-risk DA victims and target offenders more effectively, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: An evaluation of an expanded restorative justice (RJ) approach in the Australian Capital Territory, which includes RJ referrals for suitable family and domestic violence cases as well as sexual violence offences, has seen strong support and satisfaction rates from victims, and a reduction in the number of repeat offences committed by perpetrators, as the Australian Institute of Criminology’s Dr Siobhan Lawler explained to delegates at the recent Global Evidence-Based Policing Conference.

INTERVIEW: With almost half of police forces in England and Wales having adopted and implemented the Operation Soteria model to tackle rape and serious sexual offences, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to City University of London Professor Katrin Hohl and Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Sarah Crew about the continuing roll out of the programme, the expansion of the approach to address domestic abuse, and concerns that an end to funding could threaten the progress already made.

ANALYSIS: The National Cabinet of the Australian Government has set out a $4.7 billion package of measures to tackle the “national crisis” of gender-based violence that has become “a source of national shame”, after a ‘rapid review’ of the potential prevention measures to end domestic, family and sexual violence highlighted not only a problem of “overwhelming” scale and complexity, but also “many areas ripe for meaningful reform”, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The final report of Australia’s Missing and murdered First Nations women and children inquiry has found that widespread racist attitudes across Australian policing, together with inadequate and delayed responses to reports of crimes, have led to a lack of trust among First Nations women in reporting domestic violence and other crimes – although several forces have now embarked on programmes to rebuild and improve the relationship with First Nations communities, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Multi-agency scrutiny panels which examine domestic abuse cases that have been deemed ‘no further action’ in Avon and Somerset have helped to identify mistakes, highlight learning opportunities for police and partner agencies, and increase transparency for victim/survivors, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: While the potential benefits of perpetrator programmes in reducing domestic and sexual violence have been recognised for some time, a new report by researchers at Australia’s Monash University highlights the need for better measurement of why some programmes prove more effective than others, and the factors that can influence male offender engagement, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: New research from the University of Liverpool working with three English police forces has highlighted that officers’ unmanageable workloads, insufficient training and lack of understanding of digitally enabled coercive control are leading to missed opportunities in investigating potential perpetrators and protecting victim-survivors, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: Former Met Assistant Commissioner and NPCC Lead for CT Policing Neil Basu QPM is one of the country’s most outspoken former senior cops; in the second part of an extended interview series with Policing Insight’s James Sweetland, he gave his reflections on the Met today – how early access to the excoriating Casey Review left him “in tears”, a personal insight into Mark Rowley the “blue sky” thinker and “reformer”, and his perception of “poor leadership in policing, from top to bottom.”

ANALYSIS: Animal cruelty is recognised in the US as both a potential predictor of intimate partner violence, and as a way to perpetrate that violence; research by Professor Lynn Addington of the American University found that intimate partner violence incidents involving animal cruelty are more likely to end with an arrest, reiterating the importance of expanding intimate partner violence protection laws to include pets, and the need for strong partnerships between police and humane law enforcement departments.

INNOVATION: A successful pilot project using artificial intelligence to support call handlers answering domestic abuse calls in Humberside Police – which increased both officer and public safety, improved evidence and reduced staff stress – could now be applied to other crime types within the force as well as being scaled up nationally, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANAYLSIS: A review of stalking in London, carried out by the city’s Victims’ Commissioner, Claire Waxman, describes the response to victims as “woefully inadequate” and calls for legislative reform, increased awareness and training, and updated protocols from police chiefs and prosecutors to improve criminal justice outcomes and support for victims across England and Wales, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: A new campaign by the Naturewatch Foundation is highlighting the link between those who abuse animals and their use of violence against people; former detective inspector Mark Randell the charity’s Campaign Manager, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the need for training for officers and prosecutors around that link, and the organisation’s efforts to encourage data sharing and raise awareness of the need to consider animal cruelty when investigating other cases.

OPINION: Already a criminal offence in the UK and parts of Australia, coercive control in intimate relationships looks set to be crimimalized in Canada under legislation making its way through the Senate; but PhD student Eden Hoffer and Professor Nadine Wathen of Western University, Ontario, argue that – because of the nature of the criminal justice system, and gender-neutral policies – criminalizing coercive control could also criminalize more women victim-survivors of intimate partner violence.

ANALYSIS: New research by Deakin University PhD Candidate Jess Woolley has highlighted how some perpetrators of family violence are weaponising suicide threats, leading to concerns among police officers that addressing the mental health of the perpetrator as a priority can subsequently leave victim-survivors at risk and without adequate protection.

ANALYSIS: The concept of coercive control has been recognised for more than 15 years, and coercive and controlling behaviour was introduced as a criminal offence in 2015; but research by Julia Pitman, justice policy, campaigns and research professional, highlighted key barriers the police face in recognising female offenders as victims of coercive control, including lack of officer skill and experience, and inadequate policy and guidance.

ANALYSIS: The rising incidence of women’s deaths as a result of male violence in Australia has prompted some to call for the wider use of domestic violence disclosure schemes, but research by Monash University Professor Dr Kate Fitz-Gibbon, and Lecturer Ellen Reeves and Professor Sarah Walklate of the University of Liverpool, suggests such schemes can put victim-survivors in greater danger, with resources better invested elsewhere.

ANALYSIS: In the UK, partners or family members are responsible for nearly half of all female homicides, but there is an increasing rate of statement withdrawal from victims in high-risk domestic abuse cases; the LSE’s Professor Tom Kirchmaier and Dr Ekaterina Oparina highlight the alarming relationship between a police officer’s workload and the rate of withdrawal of statements by victims.

INNOVATION: Smart devices have revolutionised the way many people interact, but they can also be used to facilitate a wide range of abuse; Andi Brown, criminologist and Cybercrime and Cybersecurity Lecturer at Monash University, argues that there are several steps that could be taken to design safety features that empower victim-survivors, instead of exposing them to risk.

OPINION: The Renters (Reform) Bill should introduce a better deal for tenants, but also looks set to make victims of domestic violence more vulnerable to short-notice evictions without assessment or support; Generation Rent Chief Executive Ben Twomey, a former PCC candidate and policing and criminal justice specialist, believes the Government needs to rethink parts of the Bill in order to protect victims and support policing’s efforts to tackle and reduce domestic abuse.

FEATURE: A Metropolitan Police initiative which uses a digital triage approach to identify and maximise the potential of digital evidence in stalking, domestic abuse and sexual offences cases has led to investigation times cut by 75% and a 96% conviction rate for cases going to court – prompting calls for the same approach to be used more widely, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Debbie Kettle talks about the collaboration and research that has underlined the importance of multi-agency cohesion in providing adequate and efficient victim support.

OPINION: A recent Policing Insight article highlighted significant differences in the response to domestic violence disclosure applications in England and Wales; but Allan Dorans MP, the Scottish National Party’s spokesperson on policing at Westminster and a former Detective Inspector with the Metropolitan Police, believes a similar disclosure scheme in Scotland has been much more successful, as have wider efforts to reduce violent crime north of the border.