APCC welcomes National Policing Statement on violence against women and girls
In response to the publication of a National Policing Statement on Violence Against Women and Girls, APCC joint leads for Victims, Sophie Linden and Lisa Townsend said:
“The APCC welcomes this National Policing Statement on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) which lays out in stark detail the scale of the challenge of combatting these destructive crimes. It is unacceptable that at least one in 12 women is a victim of VAWG each year.
“The Statement sets out five critical threats to women and girls, along with policing’s commitments to improve its response, creating one that is nationally consistent, suspect-focused and, importantly, victim-centred. Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will work with their Chief Constables to ensure they deliver on these commitments.
“It is imperative that we recognise the insidious nature of Violence Against Women and Girls - and that policing cannot solve the problem alone. It is a society-wide issue and only through the adoption of a public health approach, with government-coordinated action undertaken by a host of agencies and institutions, will we achieve the wholesale change that is required. We support the NPCC’s call for a coherent and robust approach that brings together criminal justice partners, the voluntary, community and private sectors, as well as the wider public, to reduce the scale and devastating harm that women experience – too often, repeatedly.
“We supported the then Home Secretary’s decision to make VAWG a Strategic Policing Requirement, deeming it a national threat, which led to the adoption of the same strategy as that used in counter-terrorism: Pursue; Prepare; Protect; Prevent. This demonstrates policing’s commitment to tackling the issue, but the scale of the problem is so vast, it is critical that this commitment is backed by increased funding that is equitable with the other Strategic Policing Requirement objectives. We applaud the ambitious aim in this government’s manifesto to halve VAWG in a decade but that will not happen without greater government investment.
“This report demonstrates the devasting impact and scale of VAWG, representing almost 20% of all recorded crime in England and Wales, covering multiple offences, with hundreds of thousands of victims. PCCs are committed to commissioning services to support victims recover from the devastating impacts of crime. We will continue to work with our sector partners and policing to develop the best services and ensure victims receive referrals at the right time. We are engaging with the new government to ensure secure funding for victims’ services.
“Today’s Policing Statement sets out the challenge of VAWG and how policing plans to tackle it. PCCs will support them in working towards the goal of reducing the harm caused to victims and society by Violence Against Women and Girls in all its forms.”
Notes:
- Sophie Linden is London Deputy Mayor for Policing
- Lisa Townsend is Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey