Domestic abuse experts in 999 call rooms 'a good first step' says Wiltshire charity
It's hoped victims calls will be dealt with appropriately moving forward
The addition of domestic abuse specialists to 999 call rooms has been welcomed by a Wiltshire charity.
It will help ensure that calls for help are treated with the urgency required.
The scheme follows the death of Raneem Oudeh in 2018.
The 22 year old was killed by her ex-husband, despite several calls to police.
Claire Marshall, CEO at FearFree, told Greatest Hits Radio that it's a 'good first step'.
"It's a positive step forward in police understanding what the call from the victim may be about, what incident is unfolding and the seriousness of that incident," she said.
Calls to the police are one of the primary ways a victim of abuse can reach out, making it vital that officers are prepared to deal with the call appropriately.
Claire added: "What we're hearing so often is that victims of abuse are calling again and again and again and are not being taken seriously."
She also told us that police forces often struggle to have enough resource to deploy an incident - which is leading to a poor response.
Claire said: "The impact this work can have in the, you know in the 999 call areas is what impact this can have is obviously understanding the seriousness of the call and understanding the nature of the resource that needs to be deployed. But also understanding how quickly that situation can escalate.
"We have seen in the media over the years, repeatedly again and again, women losing their lives or being seriously injured because the the they've called several times and and and people haven't understood what the situation is."
She added it is disappointing that it's taking this level of intervention.
"What's concerning is the fact that a lot of attention and funding will be focused on the pilot schemes of these initiatives, it's but the issue then is how can the funding be sustained over the long term, right across the country to enable this to become a positive reality."