Police improvements a major step forward, says abuse charity
Wiltshire Police says it has stepped up its game when dealing with domestic abuse case
Wiltshire's domestic abuse charity says it has more confidence in how Police handle call outs to suspected domestic violence cases.
During the month of October, the Force made a considerable effort to improve how it responds to domestic abuse incidents.
The initiative saw enhanced training for officers and staff at all levels in order to give them the tools they need to deliver an effective service.
This has been achieved in collaboration with organisation's such as FearFree.
Charity CEO, Debbie Beadle, told us they're encouraged by the progress, but it had highlighted some worrying gaps in knowledge.
"Some officers didn't really understand what an IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advocate) was, they didn't understand that FearFree holds the contract in Wiltshire, so the Police Protection Notices (PPN's) come to us and that we then respond," she said.
"It's been a really positive move, but one of the things that was really highlighted was the lack of awareness generally about domestic abuse services. And if this is happening in Wiltshire, then it's bound to be happening in other police forces."
As part of the improvements, IDVA's are now working within police stations, help guide officers and help them see the bigger picture.
Debbie said: "They're seeing the crime that they've been called out for, whereas when they're working closely with organisations such as FearFree, we understand the whole picture and how pattern behaviours can present and highlight to us that it's domestic abuse."
She said it's allowing officers to carry out more detailed investigations, asking questions they might not have asked before and considering other outcomes than if they'd operated without the expert guidance.
Debbie applauded the Force for making "some great strides" and said there are some "really good" officers within the Force who are going to deliver a good response to a domestic abuse situation.
T/Sergeant Ryan Price spoke of the influence the IDVAs are having.
He said: "IDVAs have offered support from the very early stages of an investigation and assisted with safeguarding both during and after the custody process. I can confidently say this has resulted in a much better service being offered to our victims, as well as reassurance to officers and supervisors.”
Detective Chief Inspector Claire Smith, lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, said improvement was needed.
"We recognise that domestic abuse is everybody’s responsibility within the Force, and it is vital that we better support vulnerable victims while robustly tackling offenders.
"This is not just a month of action. We want to encourage reporting for anyone suffering to speak to someone. There is support there, and we will listen.”