Report calls for multi-agency approach to prevent domestic abuse deaths

And for the second year in a row, the number of suicides following domestic abuse overtook intimate partner killings.

The findings come from the Domestic Homicide Project annual report released today (March 25), which says the figures demonstrate the need for a for a multi-agency response to prevent future deaths.

The report tracks the scale and nature of domestic abuse-related deaths in quick-time, both from the previous year and across a four-year period, and is the only dataset of its kind in England and Wales.

The findings and analysis were informed by families bereaved by fatal domestic abuse who continue to drive awareness and change across policing, government and partners. This year, specific research was also undertaken to examine deaths where someone had fallen from height in partnership with the Killed Women Network.

In total, 262 deaths were recorded between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024

There were 98 suspected suicide following domestic abuse (SVSDA), 80 intimate partner homicides (IPH), 39 adult family homicides (AFH), and 28 unexpected deaths.

In addition there were 11 child deaths and six ‘other’, where the victim and suspect lived together, but were not related or intimate partners.

Twenty-two cases of deaths due to a fall from height were recorded across 13 forces during the four-year period, of those:

• 36 per cent were recorded as SVSDA, 27 per cent unexpected deaths, 23 per cent IPH and 14 per cent AFH.

Notably, three victims (14 per cent) were pregnant at the time of their death.

In 70 per cent of cases the suspect was arrested

For the second year in a row, suspected suicides following domestic abuse have overtaken the number of homicides involving current or previous partners. This reflects increased awareness and progress made against recommendations in the project’s last report, which focused on improving policing’s ability to better recognise and record the link between domestic abuse and suicide.

Over four years (April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2024), the number of people killed by their current or previous partner consistently represents around a third of domestic abuse-related deaths each year.

Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, national policing lead for domestic abuse, said: “The sustained nature of domestic homicide shows how deeply ingrained violence against women and girls is in our communities.

“The Domestic Homicide Project has now recorded over 1,000 domestic abuse-related deaths across a four year period. The scale and impact is incomprehensible and as a society, we cannot delay action to prevent future deaths.”

The report demonstrates the need for a multi-agency response that spans the wider criminal justice system, healthcare and local authorities such as social services, to tackle domestic abuse and prevent future deaths, particularly suicides. In cases of SVSDA, nine in ten victims and/or prior domestic abuse perpetrators were known to partner agencies.

Across the four-year dataset, the most commonly recorded risk factors in relation to the suspects were mental ill-health, a history of coercive and controlling behaviour (CCB), alcohol use and drug misuse, representing a key opportunity to intercept perpetrators through healthcare, substance misuse and mental health services.

Some of the risk factors were more prominent in certain types of deaths; for example, CCB was prominent in cases of IPH, SVSDA and unexpected deaths, while suspected mental ill health was particularly notable in cases of AFH.

Ms Rolfe said: “The data reinforces the critical need for policing to work with other agencies to identify those at risk of being both a perpetrator or a victim of domestic abuse. A preventative approach is the only way to stop the widespread harm of domestic abuse in all its forms.”

She said police forces have made significant changes in relation to the recommendations made in last year’s Domestic Homicide Report, with most forces incorporating:

• Specific training for officers to raise awareness of the link between domestic abuse and suicide. Review teams are proactively working to better identify cases of suicide with links to domestic abuse.
• Updated unexpected death policies, with explicit procedures to prompt officers to consider domestic abuse or CCB in unexpected deaths or suspected suicides and carry out system checks.
• Growing number of cases of SVSDA submitted for Domestic Homicide Reviews and increasing rate of posthumous charges for domestic abuse offences, reflecting improved ability to identify these cases.

Ms Rolfe said: “We have a much better understanding of the complex nature of domestic abuse than ever before, but there is more for policing to do to ensure that every domestic-abuse related death is properly recognised, and where appropriate, adequately investigated.

“Fifty-four per cent of suspects of domestic homicide were previously known to police as perpetrators of domestic abuse, highlighting the importance of a prompt, robust police response from the outset of a report. That is why the broader police response to domestic abuse is focused on driving improvements and consistency in offender management and better protection for victims.”

New protective orders with longer-term, more robust safety measures and quicker charging decisions for cases are currently being piloted in select forces, with the aim of better supporting victims through the criminal justice system.

In addition, police forces are rolling out video technology to respond to non-urgent reports of domestic abuse, which has shown to increase arrest rates, secure quicker convictions and bring the response time down from 32 hours to an average of three minutes.

Alongside this work, select police forces have also began piloting Raneem’s Law, embedding specially trained domestic abuse support in police contact rooms to get the right support to victims reporting domestic abuse.

The recommendations from this year’s report focus on better information sharing and a more joined-up approach across policing, government and other agencies, including healthcare and mental health and substance misuse services, to better recognise and intercept domestic abuse, particularly in young people. Additional recommendations highlight the need to continue to strengthen policing and the wider criminal justice system’s approach to investigating and prosecuting in cases of SVSDA.

Ms Rolfe said: “We are incredibly grateful to the families of those bereaved by domestic abuse for sharing their insights with us, they continue to be a driving force in effecting change and preventing future deaths.”

Julie Devey, chair of Killed Women, said: “Every life lost following domestic abuse leaves behind a family heartbroken. For too long, these deaths have been treated as ‘unavoidable tragedies’ – but they are not. They are preventable.

“Today’s important report reflects that too often perpetrators or victims are known to agencies, but they fail to act. We must ensure a system that joins the dots and intervenes before it’s too late.

“We also welcome the report findings which make clear what we have long said: women are dying in suspicious circumstances – for example from falls – or from suicide, where there is a history of domestic abuse, without adequate investigation.

“We welcome the recommendation which compels police, in all cases of unexpected deaths, to investigate the history of domestic abuse. If the Government is serious about ending violence against women, these recommendations should be enforced.’’

Domestic Abuse Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs said: “Every life lost to violence and abuse is a harrowing demonstration that our current approach needs to change. Behind these figures are people who had hopes and aspirations that have been cruelly taken and a heartbroken family left searching for answers. There is no excuse for this failure.

“I have been clear that when an unexpected death occurs that the police must check for a history of domestic abuse, so that perpetrators can be held to account for their role. But crucially we need to see greater information sharing between public services, so that incidents of domestic abuse are spotted, and the right support is put in place quickly, so we can better protect victims.

“I am currently reviewing how to hold agencies to account on ensuring that lessons are learnt when a domestic abuse related death occurs. This includes ensuring recommendations from domestic abuse related death reviews are implemented swiftly and that learnings are embedded at both a national and local level.

“As only through closer collaboration, will we prevent more deaths in the future.”

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips said: “Every death related to domestic abuse is a life cut short and a devastating tragedy. The better we understand the links between domestic abuse and homicides, suicides and unexpected deaths, the better equipped we are to prevent them from happening in the first place. That’s why the Government has funded this vital research to shine a light on the scale of the problem.

“This report rightly demands coordinated action across government, police and partner agencies to tackle these issues head on – and we are already cracking on with work to put the voices of victims, their families and friends, and key stakeholders front and centre of this.

“Our upcoming violence against women and girls strategy will set out our ambition and concrete actions to strengthen our response to perpetrators and deliver on our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.”

Sarah Davidge, head of Research and Evaluation at Women’s Aid: “The Domestic Homicide Project’s latest report proves that domestic abuse is a national emergency with a deadly impact on women and children. Every week, at least one woman is killed by her male partner or ex-partner and 11 child deaths this year alone should be a wake-up call for government investment in support for child survivors of domestic abuse. Women’s Aid’s own research estimates that only one in ten child victims of domestic abuse receive support from a refuge or community-based support service, leaving far too many without the help they need.

“Despite having decades of lifesaving expertise in violence against women and girls, specialist domestic abuse services remain chronically underfunded. This report shows the human cost of leaving behind critical services to operate on shoestring budgets. Women and children are being turned away in their time of need—forcing them to return to an abusive partner or parent and putting even greater strain on already struggling public services, including the NHS.

“Alarmingly, the report indicates 54 per cent of domestic homicide suspects were already known to the police as perpetrators before the victim’s death. This underscores the urgent need for stronger multi-agency collaboration to identify risks earlier, intervene effectively, and break the cycle of abuse before it turns fatal.

“Whilst we welcome the Government’s ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, a truly effective response to this national emergency requires sustained, adequate funding for specialist domestic abuse services. Without it, far too many women and children will be left to face their abusers alone, and critical opportunities to prevent and intervene to stop perpetrators will continue to be missed.”