Tougher domestic abuse laws to be trialled in Greater Mancheter
Offenders will be electronically tagged, as part of new measures to further protect victims
Last updated 20th Sep 2024
Tougher domestic abuse laws are going to be trialled in Greater Manchester, as part of a package of measures designed to better protect victims.
From November, offenders who don't stay away from their victims will be electronically tagged.
The new protection orders will also mean offenders will have to tell officers when they are moving home or changing their name.
There will also be no maximum duration for these orders, unlike current powers police have to order abusers to not make contact with or go within a certain distance of their victim, which expire after 28 days.
Breaching one of these new orders will be a criminal offence, punishable by up to five years in prison.
They can be applied for all forms of domestic abuse, including violence, stalking and controlling behaviour.
Family and civil courts as well as local authorities, charities and social services will be able to apply the orders - rather than only police and criminal courts.
It comes as the Government announces domestic abuse specialists will be placed in 999 control rooms in England and Wales from early next year.
The Government will fund the pilot in targeted police forces from early 2025, but did not say how many forces would be involved in the initial rollout.
The move comes as part of Raneem's law, named after Raneem Oudeh, who was murdered by her ex-partner in 2018, despite multiple calls to police.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper said: "What we've seen is if there is proper domestic abuse expertise, it means that you can get the right response to the calls that come in and proper understanding of the seriousness of domestic abuse as a crime and how lives are at risk."