Oral Answers to Questions

Lorraine Beavers Excerpts

Monday 13th July 2026 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Lorraine Beavers (Blackpool North and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

1. What progress her Department has made on improving the police response to domestic abuse.

[Jonathan Davies (Mid Derbyshire) (Lab)]

2. What progress her Department has made on improving the police response to domestic abuse.

[The Minister for Policing and Crime (Sarah Jones)]

May I associate myself and my colleagues with your remarks about Ann Widdecombe, Mr Speaker? Ann was a Minister when I was doing my politics A-level, and she has been a firm part of our political life for the past three decades. May she rest in peace.

We are rolling out domestic abuse protection orders across England and Wales, and have trebled the number of forces with domestic abuse specialists in control rooms under Raneem’s law. We have established the national centre for violence against women and girls and public protection to transform the response to VAWG.

[Lorraine Beavers]

Kiena Dawes was pushed into taking her own life by her abusive partner. Before she died, she said that he had killed her. With domestic abuse-related suicides on the rise and women in abusive relationships being more likely to take their own life than to be killed by their abuser, will the Minister commit to the Home Office working with victims and campaigners to ensure that the law fully reflects the role that domestic abuse plays in the deaths of people like Kiena?

[Sarah Jones]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising such an important issue, and the answer, of course, is yes. We are funding research with all police forces to better capture information and inform our response. The Law Commission is reviewing homicide law, including the use of manslaughter offences where abuse may have driven someone to suicide. The former Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Yardley (Jess Phillips), was working hard on this issue, and I know that the new Minister will be too.

Oral Answers to Questions

Lorraine Beavers Excerpts

Monday 15th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Tom Morrison (Cheadle) (LD)]

19. What steps she is taking to help ensure the delivery of effective community policing.

[Lorraine Beavers (Blackpool North and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

23. What recent progress her Department has made on improving neighbourhood policing.

--- Later in debate ---

[Shabana Mahmood]

More than 500 town centres across England and Wales have seen the benefits of that summer initiative. I will ask my officials questions about the hon. Gentleman’s area in particular, but it is an important model that we have trialled this year. We look forward to building on it as we ensure we have the local responses and neighbourhood policing to deal with local concerns, building confidence so that people can enjoy our town centres as they used to do.

[Lorraine Beavers]

I welcome the Government’s commitment to the neighbourhood policing guarantee to restore bobbies on the beat in our town centres, following 14 years of Conservative cuts that have left our towns and villages at the mercy of shoplifters and antisocial behaviour. Will the Home Secretary outline how Lancashire, and in particular my constituency of Blackpool North and Fleetwood, will benefit from that guarantee?

[Shabana Mahmood]

The neighbourhood policing guarantee is absolutely critical to dealing with the issues that my hon. Friend raises and to raising confidence more generally. The guarantee will ensure that all areas, including her constituency, will have a named, dedicated officer, guaranteed patrols and reliable response times, and will give communities absolute clarity about local policing priorities.