Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to ensure reports of domestic abuse are taken seriously and not missed by the system.

We expect police to take all reports of domestic abuse seriously, taking necessary steps to protect victims. Missed opportunities are costing lives and far too many have already been lost.

At present, we know many domestic abuse victims do not receive an adequate response when they phone the police. The government will not stand by while women are failed by systems charged with keeping them safe. That's why earlier this year we launched 'Raneem's Law' in the first five police forces. Under 'Raneem's Law', domestic abuse specialists are embedded in 999 control rooms to improve the police response to reports of domestic abuse. The specialists use their expertise to advise on risk assessments, review 999 calls and support officers responding to domestic abuse incidents.

Through an expert-led and cohesive police response, ‘Raneem’s Law’ helps ensure that when a victim has the courage to come forward it will be treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves.

We are also committed to ensuring policing have the right skills and training to respond appropriately to reports of domestic abuse, and are working closely with the new National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection to deliver this.

The Home Office has already invested £13.1 million this year into the new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP). This funding includes an uplift of nearly £2 million to deliver a robust package of training improvements.

Grounded in academic research and behaviour change science, new training programmes will prioritise trauma-informed learning to ensure that all officers are well equipped to investigate these crimes and provide support to victims.

The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government is treating it as the national emergency that it is. These steps are just some of many that we are taking towards tangible and impactful change.