Call to action to tackle ‘epidemic scale’ of VAWG

Commissioned by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing, the National Policing Statement for VAWG found at least one in every 12 women will be a victim each year, with the exact number expected to be much higher.

More than one million VAWG-related crimes were recorded during 2022/23, accounting for 20 per cent of all police recorded crime, with a 37 per cent increase recorded between 2018/23.

“Not only is VAWG growing, but we are also seeing ever more complicated types of offending which causes significant harm to victims and society as a whole,” said the NPCC.

“One in every six murders related to domestic abuse in 2022/23, with suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse rising year-on-year.”

It added: “Policing has undergone significant changes to the way it tackles violence against women and girls in recent years. Progress has been made to drive standards and consistency across all police forces.

“However, due to the epidemic scale of offending, police leaders are calling for a whole-system approach that brings together criminal justice partners, government bodies and industry, in a new partnership that seeks to reduce the scale and impact of VAWG.”

The NPCC says it is transforming the way police officers investigate rape and serious sexual offences and over the past year more than 4,500 new officers have been trained in investigating this “complex crime”.

“We are also working closer than ever with prosecutors and ensuring all investigations are focused on the actions of the alleged perpetrator, not the victim,” it added.

Early data shows a 25 per cent increase in the number of arrests (2022/23 compared with 2019/20), and a 38 per cent increase in charges for rape (year to December 2023 compared with the same period).

Domestic abuse remains one of biggest demands on policing, with arrests for domestic abuse-related offences increasing by over 22 per cent in the year ending March 2023, compared to the previous period. While this is a positive shift, the NPCC said it acknowledges that this is only the start and there is still more to do.

“Policing has ensured violence against women and girls is now officially classed as a national threat by government and a refreshed national framework has brought the police response to VAWG in line with counter-terrorism,” said the NPCC.

This includes the adoption of a tried and tested methodology used in counter-terrorism policing – the ‘4P’ approach, which underpins every police force’s plan to tackle VAWG:

• Prepare: forces must have the right culture, skills and resources;
• Protect: action is being taken to protect individuals, families and communities;
• Pursue: perpetrators of violence are being relentlessly pursued; and
• Prevent: policing must work with partners as part of a whole-system approach;

Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, deputy chief executive officer of the College of Policing and NPCC lead for VAWG, said: “We are absolutely determined to turn the tide on violence and abuse faced by women and girls and will continue to work tirelessly to do better for victims.

“Our focus will always be to bring the men behind these pervasive crimes to justice. By enhancing the way we use data and intelligence, we will improve our ability to identify, intercept and arrest those causing the most harm in communities.

“We know that continuous improvement is needed to strengthen policing’s response to VAWG. Improvements must be driven nationally, ensuring consistency from force to force to give victims the service they expect and deserve.”

She says violence against women and girls is at such a scale that it cannot be addressed through law enforcement alone. One in 20 people are estimated to be perpetrators of VAWG per year, with the actual number thought to be significantly higher.

Evidence shows many of these perpetrators will have touch points with a number of agencies outside of policing through their life, presenting opportunities for intervention.

This includes health, education, local authority, voluntary sector and industry all working in tandem with the criminal justice system, sharing data and responsibilities to effect change across the board.

Police will maximise the use of technology and intelligence across law enforcement to pursue perpetrators.

The creation of a dedicated policing hub, the National Centre for Public Protection in the College of Policing, would support forces with specialist knowledge and training for investigators and officers, and lead on a national approach to preventative work with other agencies. Ultimately, this would deliver a better service to victims through quality investigations and victim care, says the NPCC.

Ms Blyth said: “A centralised hub within policing that brings together specialised skill sets and capabilities would support police forces in improving their response to VAWG.

“However, this will only achieve progress as part of a wider, effective criminal justice system, which at present is overwhelmed and under-performing for victims.

“Violence against women and girls is a national emergency. We need the support and direction of government to intervene and address the current problems within the criminal justice system and lead the way on a whole-system approach to VAWG.

“We aspire to a position where an effective criminal justice response to VAWG is the last resort. We need to move forward as a society to make change and no longer accept VAWG as inevitable.”

Sophie Francis-Cansfield, head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid, said: “While the findings PCC and College into the scale of violence against women and girls in this country are alarming, it is important to remember that many survivors will not report their experiences to the police, therefore we know the issue will be much larger than the data shows.

“Women’s Aid agree that violence against women and girls is a national threat, and echoes calls for a whole-system approach to tackling the problem and centres the most marginalised. This includes coordination between the criminal justice system, the government, and experts, and enhanced training and education, delivered by specialist services, to those working in statutory services like the police. Without meaningful collaboration and action, women and children will continue to be failed when it comes to be protected and when seeking justice for the abuse they have endured.”

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (A PCC) 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 VAWG- 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 per cent 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 VAWG in all its forms.”

The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Baroness Newlove, said: “A strong police response is essential for tackling VAWG, ensuring victim safety and holding perpetrators accountable. The NPCC plan, with its focus on victim-centred approaches and enforcement of protective orders is welcome.

“Their emphasis on training, specialist skills, and data collection demonstrates a clear understanding of the complexities of VAWG offending. I support NPCC calls for a dedicated national policing hub, to further enhance the police response.

“The King’s Speech commitment to halve VAWG in a decade is commendable and societal change will be crucial to its success. The police are a vital piece of the puzzle, but tackling VAWG will require a whole-society approach, especially since only a minority of victims engage with the criminal justice system.

“It is vital that we develop strategies to address low reporting rates and the growing concern of tech-enabled VAWG, particularly AI deepfakes. On the latter, I urge government to work with industry to develop robust strategies – with clear accountability mechanisms – to protect women and girls online.”

Harriet Wistrich, Director of Centre for Women’s Justice, said: “The findings in this report show the police are beginning to acknowledge, what those of us working on the frontline with victims and survivors have known for a long time, that VAWG is perpetrated on a terrifying scale and, even with increased reporting, the majority of victims still don’t report.

“Many of the proposals are welcome including the creation of National Centre for Public Protection, the creation of more specialised units where officers are properly trained to understand VAWG and respond appropriately and the demand for a whole system approach.

“However, the report makes little mention of the issue of police perpetrators of VAWG which – following the recent exposure of the scale and nature of this issue – has massively dented trust in the police from victims. It also does not tackle head on the issue of criminalisation of survivors of violence which, aside from being an affront to justice, is a huge waste of criminal justice resources.

“There are also serious weaknesses in data recording across the system which prevent us having a proper understanding of not only the scale of the problem but of intersectional abuse which means, for example, that black and minoritised women and those with disabilities can be subject to multiple disadvantage and discrimination. We also see huge inconsistencies of practice across police forces and consideration needs to be given to having a centralised system of accountability.

“The new Labour government have made extremely ambitious announcements of their determination to halve violence against women and girls.  They will need to ensure the police are using any additional resources provided to them to prioritise this critical area for policing and to hold police forces to account where they fail.”

Andrea Simon, executive director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: “VAWG is one of the most pervasive human rights violations that we face. Recorded data will never completely capture the extent of this abuse, which we know remains highly underreported because as a society we still frequently treat victims as being responsible for their own abuse and keeping themselves safe, while many are denied routes to support and justice.

“Recorded crimes of violence against women and girls have increased by 37%, but we know these are only the tip of the iceberg, as the vast majority of victims do not report what has happened to them. With the data showing that one in 20 adults in England and Wales will be a perpetrator of VAWG every year, it is important to understand that violence against women is a systemic problem within society, rather than something the majority of men can distance themselves from.

“We must all be taking action to hold each other to account and safely intervene as bystanders when needed.

“We welcome a stronger focus on preventing violence against women, which looks beyond the criminal justice system alone. Too many women’s lives have been taken by male violence – deaths which were preventable but for the failures of early intervention and appropriate responses on the part of the police and other agencies.

“We are also encouraged by the prioritisation of online and tech-enabled VAWG as one of the five critical threats to women and girls. For too long, police responses to online abuse have ranged from very poor to non-existent, despite the damaging effect it has on victims, including victims of domestic abuse subjected to control and coercion through technology.

“However, while any response to this violence must take a whole-society approach, this does not mean policing passing the buck to other agencies.

“Policing has come under fire in recent years following high profile revelations about the scale of violence against women perpetrated by officers themselves, as well as other forms of misconduct resulting from systemic misogyny, racism and other forms of discrimination.

“While there have been some green shoot of progress, including a new national model for investigating rape that focuses on the suspect’s actions rather than the victim’s credibility, we have a long way to go.

“While we welcome improved data-sharing to improve early identification of perpetrators and risk, this must be proportionate and in line with our rights, given how these practices have long been used to target and harm marginalised communities.”

She added:  “Over the last few years, we’ve heard countless commitments to change from the very top levels of policing, but the pace of this change has been far too slow. Too many women and girls have been failed while leaders conduct reviews, launch initiatives and deliver a range of strategies and plans.

“Today’s plans signal intent, but we are a long way from seeing change filter down to the culture and practices of police forces, or deliver more joined up working. We don’t want to see another piece of paper that doesn’t deliver tangible change – women’s lives lie in the balance.”