Suffolk Police says work to support victims of domestic abuse is constantly evolving
Today marks the beginning of the national 'No More' campaign dedicated to raising awareness about domestic abuse and sexual violence
Suffolk Police says it's continuing to provide its staff with up-to-date and impactful training which will help it to help victims of domestic abuse as best it can.
Today marks the beginning of the national 'No More' campaign which is dedicated to raising awareness about domestic abuse and sexual violence.
How to contact the police
We spoke to Superintendent Shawn Wakeling from Suffolk Constabulary, he tells us they have multiple ways for people to contact them if they need help: "You can report things to us online.
"If you go on to the Suffolk Police website online, you'll see that there's a reporting mechanism there.
"We also have live chat, which is available in hundreds of different languages and also you are speaking directly to someone, it's not automated and you can get advice and support from from there as well.
"So please do engage with us on those services and hopefully we can help keep Suffolk safe."
Officer training
Superintendent Wakeling told us that officers are able to access training every five weeks to help further their understandings of various situations, what's required and what the best course of action is: "We have a training department within the organisation that has a number of different elements that they would like to provide support to officers around.
"So it could be domestic abuse, it could be mental health, it could be vulnerability.
"All of these types of training get factored into our calendar throughout the year and officers get refreshed on that regularly.
"But some other innovation that we're doing in relation to the domestic abuse, is that last year we created something called DAVR Team - a domestic abuse team dedicated solely to that."
Collaborative approach
Suffolk Police has also acknowledged the importance of working collaboratively with other agencies so it's able to extend the best help and support to those who need it.
Superintendent Wakeling told us more: "We do work closely with our partners... because we appreciate that not everyone wants to come forward to police in the first instances.
"We do work with local authorities and third-sector agencies, such as Leeway and the Anglia Care Trust, which are really good organisations that can help a victim on their journey as well, so it's not solely about us as a police service.
"But we do recognise that we have a huge role to play and we want to do that as effectively as we can."
Prevention
Not only is Suffolk Police working with other organisations, they're also working with potential abusers.
Superintendent Wakeling explained: "We have a domestic abuse perpetrator unit and what that is, is if someone identifies that they are maybe a potentially an abuser, then they can engage on a programme which is a six-month voluntary programme, and look to try and address their own behaviours.
"So again, it's another tool in the toolbox for us to try and tackle this challenging subject."
Support
If you’re affected by issues raised in this article, there is help available from your local domestic abuse service at www.womensaid.org.uk.
· The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247 (run by Refuge)
· The Men’s Advice Line, for male domestic abuse survivors is 0808 801 0327 (run by Respect)
· The National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0800 999 5428 (run by Galop)
If you are in immediate danger always call 999.