Domestic abuse specialists join 12 more force control rooms
Domestic abuse specialists are to be embedded in 12 additional 999 control rooms across England and Wales under the second phase of Raneem’s Law, trebling the number of forces operating the scheme to 17.
The expansion, announced six months after the launch of the Government’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, will see specialists deployed to Thames Valley, West Yorkshire, Hampshire, Essex, Merseyside, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Cambridgeshire, North Wales, Gloucestershire, Cleveland and Dyfed-Powys.
They join West Midlands, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Humberside and Northumbria, where the scheme has been running since its launch a year ago.
The initiative was established in memory of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in August 2018 after multiple 999 calls went unanswered.
Specialists embedded in control rooms oversee how incoming calls are assessed and managed, provide real-time advice to call handlers and responding officers, review risk assessments, support staff training and ensure victims are referred promptly to specialist services.
Early reports from forces already operating the scheme indicate it has increased call handler confidence, enabled earlier identification of high-risk cases and accelerated the deployment of safeguarding measures.
The Government has committed to rolling out Raneem’s Law to every force in England and Wales by 2029. The scheme forms part of a broader package of measures targeting violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse protection orders and over £1 billion in funding over the next three years for safe accommodation, counselling and specialist therapeutic support.
An estimated 3.8 million people experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales last year.