Posted on: 29 July, 2024

The National Police Chief’s Council and College of Policing have released the Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) National Policing Statement, seeking to:

• capture the scale of violence against women and girls
• detail steps already taken by the police to tackle this harm
• make recommendations on next steps

This statement is a welcome initial intervention in an area that is in urgent need of improvement, analysis and action: the role that the police should play in meaningfully preventing violence against women and girls. While the findings may not come as a surprise to those of us within the gender-based violence sector, or indeed to most women, established bodies like the Police making clear that we are facing a national crisis “rooted in misogyny” marks a step forwards in ending this harm.

Key findings

• At least 1 in every 12 women will be a victim per year, with the exact number expected to be much higher.
• 1 in 20 people are estimated to be perpetrators of VAWG per year, with the actual number thought to be significantly higher
• Child sexual abuse and exploitation increased by more than 400% between 2013 and 2022.
• 10-15 year olds are the most common age range to experience online and tech-enabled VAWG (14%)

As of February 2023, violence against women and girls has been classified as a national threat to public safety, placing it in the same category as terrorism and meriting priority response from the police and criminal justice system. This statement details the implementation, as a result of this new classification, of the 4Ps model used in counter-terrorism to target violence against women and girls: pursue, prepare, protect and prevent. For this model to be effective, there will need to be a significant increase in resourcing of police time.

These details include a commitment to VAWG training, information-sharing with specialist services, improved use of protection powers, offender management that effectively tracks repeat offenders and consistent data collection. The statement recognises there is significant room for improvement across all of these areas, and takes some steps to consider how they may be addressed.

It’s worthy of note that this statement acknowledges that police have been failing to make arrests upon breaches of bail and non-molestation orders, an issue that significantly impacts trust in police to prioritise violence against women and girls. While the recommendations stated to address this are a start (consistent recording systems across the criminal justice system), we would expect a stronger commitment from the police to actively prioritise the prevention of further harm against victim-survivors of VAWG. Gaining a non-molestation order should make a victim-survivor feel safer, but all too often it currently comes with an awareness that it will not be meaningfully implemented by the police.

Across all four areas, there is a focus on the importance of a whole-society approach to harm. It will take the active participation of all public sectors to meaningfully address the deep-rooted misogyny of our society which allows for 1 in 20 people every year to consider it acceptable to perpetrate violence against women and girls. With that in mind, while the recommendations made in this report demonstrate a step forward, we would welcome greater introspection into the culture of the police, the failure to retain female officers, and clarity on the steps taken to root out misogyny within their own ranks. As an organisation who specialises in domestic abuse prevention, we invite DCC Maggie Blyth to reach out to discuss meaningful interventions to be taken with her officers as well as how to expand on the “prevent” section of this report.

We note with interest that there are not accountability measures laid out to demonstrate how these recommendations are put into practice. At Cranstoun we work closely with the police across a number of our service areas, and as such we look forward to being a critical friend in assessing the impacts of this new approach on victim-survivors, who should be at the heart of this work. We know that changing a culture does not happen overnight, and recognise this as an important step. We will be watching with interest to see how it is meaningfully implemented.

The figures shared in the statement paint a bleak picture of widespread abuse that will take radical re-thinking of established procedures to address. This may include the implementation of counter-terrorism measures in policing, but it will also require preparedness and prevention work to be prioritised across the criminal justice system and wider society.

Maria Cripps, Assistant Director of Domestic Abuse Services at Cranstoun, said:

“We welcome the National Policing Statement on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). It is no secret that the current approach to VAWG crimes is failing victims/survivors and creating wider distrust of the police and the criminal justice system as a result.

“We particularly note the recognition of the expertise in the specialist VAWG sector, whose consultation is imperative to implementing these improvements and with whom information sharing is a priority. A commitment to training, awareness and intelligence to improve police responses to VAWG are also welcome additions.

“As an organisation who delivers perpetrator interventions of all levels, however, we know that an approach that recognises the impact of VAWG on victims/survivors and puts them at the centre can prevent further harm. We encourage the NPCC to explore the “Prevent” wing of their new model in more detail, including through transparency on their own internal behaviour-change interventions, and to lean on our expertise to ensure meaningful implementation of their recommendations. We will continue to work alongside the police to support survivors, identify and educate perpetrators, and offer training and assistance where needed.

“We send our thoughts to every woman who has experienced a VAWG crime. We will continue to work tirelessly to support you in your healing and justice journeys.”