Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the HMICFRS report, entitled A duty to protect: Police use of protective measures in cases involving violence against women and girls, published on 24 August 2021, what steps she is taking to improve protections for the victims of domestic violence and abuse.

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government and we are committed to taking action to improve protections for the victims of domestic abuse.

Earlier this year we passed the landmark Domestic Abuse Act which will bolster the response to domestic abuse on every level. The Act will provide further protections to the millions of people who experience domestic abuse and strengthen measures to bring perpetrators to justice, as well as transform the support we give to victims, ensuring they have the protection they deserve. For the first time in history there will be a general purpose legal definition of domestic abuse which incorporates a range of abuses beyond physical violence, including emotional, coercive or controlling, and economic abuse.

In addition, we recently published a new Tackling VAWG Strategy which sets out our commitment to working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to appoint a National Policing Lead on VAWG who will work to transform the way policing responds to these crimes and ensure effective coordination nationally. The new lead will report on progress to the Home Secretary-chaired National Policing Board.

The Strategy also includes commitments to: launch a communication campaign with a focus on targeting perpetrators and harmful misogynistic attitudes, educating young people about healthy relationships and ensuring victims can access support; provide a £5 Million ‘Safety of Women at Night’ fund, and work across Government to improve data, and in turn improve understanding, of these crimes.

We are considering the findings and recommendations of this report and will work closely with the College of Policing, National Police Chiefs’ Council, HMICFRS and VAWG stakeholders to ensure officers understand all the protective measures available to them.