Wiltshire Police Listening Circles begin to help reduce violence against females
The latest one is in Salisbury tonight (11th October)
A new Listening Circle scheme, set up by Wiltshire Police, comes to Salisbury tonight (Wednesday 11th October).
The sessions are part of work to improve responses to violence against women and girls (VAWG), and help shape future services, by asking victims what could be done better.
Detective Chief Inspector Gemma Vinton is leading the events and said:
“These Listening Circles are where we invite people to come and talk to us about how we can improve, what we can do better, and any ideas they’ve got to make the process of reporting to police more supportive, more engaging and to improve how we can help victims of VAWG crimes.
“We held our first Listening Circle in Melksham and it was really useful. We received some really good insight into the things that we can do better and the area in which we can improve. I’m really looking forward to holding more listening circles because hearing the victim’s voice is vital.”
The latest session is being held in Salisbury this evening between 6.30 and 8.00pm, with further sessions being held across the county in the coming months.
They've been launched off the back of a survey of almost 1,200 people last year, which revealed:
- More than a third of women and girls who have been victims of crime did not report this to Wiltshire Police
- Of these, nearly 50% said they didn’t report the crime as they felt we would not have taken them seriously
- A third of women said they would not bother reporting crimes in the future based on their experience of reporting crimes to us previously
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said:
“Violent and sexual crimes against women and girls cause great concern in our communities and both the Chief Constable and I are determined to improve the service received by Wiltshire’s victims.
“The Listening Circles enable myself and the Force to gain valuable insight and make the necessary changes to restore the trust and confidence victims should have within policing, which is a key priority identified within my police and crime plan.
“I’m pleased to hear the first session led to some useful feedback, and I would urge people to have their voice heard by attending an upcoming Listening Circle and, in turn, help Wiltshire Police and the support services my office commissions to respond more effectively to those crimes.”