Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with police forces on training on links between domestic violence and animal abuse.

This Government is committed to tackling domestic abuse in all its forms. Achieving the mission of halving violence against women and girls in a decade will require a whole systems approach. Domestic abuse is a hidden crime and it is critical that all agencies and services that come into contact with victims can identify abuse, effectively assess risk and help victims access support.

Domestic abuse can affect all parts of a victim’s life and relationships including, for example, through threats and harm to pets as a means of control. The Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance that accompanies the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 provides an explanation of the different characteristics of domestic abuse and includes reference to how pets can be used by perpetrators.

It is essential that every police force has the right specialist capability to properly investigate these crimes. The College of Policing has developed specialist domestic abuse training, the Domestic Abuse Matters programme, which is being delivered in many police forces and this Government has committed to strengthening police training on Violence Against Women and Girls. We will work closely with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to do this.