Police working hard on violence against women convictions
On day three of our #ReportIt campaign we hear from Avon and Somerset Police on how they're leading national attempts to change
Last updated 22nd Mar 2023
A cultural shift is needed if conviction rates are going to improve in cases of violence against women and girls (VAWG).
That's what a senior police officer is telling us as we continue our #ReportIt campaign, looking at how the language we use influences the issue.
This week we've revealed more than 70,000 women reported being sexually assaulted in the 12 months to June 2022 and yesterday survivors told us how media reporting can make the trauma of their experience worse.
Today officers who specialise in dealing with VAWG cases are telling us language - both within media reports and the police - is critical to solving the problem.
Operation Bluestone
Avon and Somerset Police has developed a reputation within policing as a leading force nationwide, when it comes to tackling VAWG.
More than a decade ago in 2010 the force began Operation Bluestone to analyse their approach to cases in an attempt to increase VAWG conviction rates.
However, when it comes to domestic abuse, the number of cases referred to the Crown Prosecution Service across England and Wales was "staggeringly lower" in the first quarter of 2022/23 compared to the year before, according to the End Violence Against Women and Girls Coalition.
Regarding rape, of the more than 70,600 reports made to police across England and Wales in the year to June 2022, only 2,616 saw someone charged.
That's less than four percent.
In 2019 Avon and Somerset Police revisited the issue, asking academics to come and assess their efforts to improve convictions, and since June 2021 the principles of Operation Bluestone have been rolled out to a further 18 police forces nationwide.
It's hoped a new operating model can be developed to be used across all police forces from June 2023, this summer.
Detective Superintendent Lisa Simpson, who specialises in dealing with rape and serious sexual offending across Avon and Somerset, says they are analysing everything they do.
"Fundamentally the way in which we investigate and then prosecute perpetrators of this sort of crime type has never been great, in terms of getting the right result for all of the victims...but actually from about 2015 we've seen a very steep decline in charges and then prosecutions for perpetrators of RASO (rape and serious sexual offences)," she said.
"So it was a government review started in 2019 to identify what is it about criminal justice agencies that are failing victims of this crime type and what do we need to do?"
A part of that, she says, was inviting academics to come and assess what the force was doing.
What Avon and Somerset Police have found
Sharon Baker is a chief inspector with Avon and Somerset Police and leads their work on tackling domestic abuse.
She is also a survivor of domestic abuse herself and tells us how officers are assessing the language they use.
"A lot of common police language has always been victim centred," she said.
"Think about all the acts we talk about, (they) are always focussed on what the victim can do, and I think that's reflective of society as well, what can a victim do to keep safe on the street at night...
"Our whole thinking, not just in policing, is around what victims can do, rather than what the perpetrator has done."
Detective Superintendent Lisa Simpson agrees.
"We'd got to a position as a policing service where we were taking the account from a victim and interrogating that account and that victim to the nth degree," she said.
"(We were) losing sight very, very often that actually, there's a perpetrator in this, there is a suspect, it's there that we start with a serious investigation...
"The biggest thing is changing the lens of focus."
To date chief inspector Baker says, officers have often used problematic language subconsciously.
That can include using the words "just" or "only" when referring to the extent of physical assaults on women.
"We've really begun to look at what is the choice of language our officers are choosing to use frequently, that might show that they're inadvertently blaming victims...
"And when we've shown them, they've gone, 'oh my goodness, (I) just didn't realise.'
"It's been like a lightbulb moment for them, they've gone, 'yeah of course now I can see it.'
"And it's great, and I've had so many examples where officers have written to me afterwards and said, 'I use that every day now, I have it on my screen and I look at it.'
"And it takes us all professionally to realise that and not to apportion any blame and just to say, 'look, this is what we can do better.'"
An attempt at change
Chief inspector Baker says when it comes to the media covering domestic abuse cases, she often sees the question raised, 'why didn't she leave?'
"We see that a lot in newspapers, in all sorts of training articles," she says.
"That becomes our story doesn't it.
"That becomes how we talk as a society...
"That's going to take a long time to overturn that, to say, what tactics is that perpetrator doing to trap that victim and to keep them there?
"Why is she so in fear of him?
"That takes a long time to change that.
"Policing is a reflection of society, in fairness."
The media and wider VAWG culture
We asked detective inspector Baker to what extent she thinks the media helps enforce a victim centred culture.
"Unfortunately I do see sensationalisation of stories and cases," she said.
"Perhaps where a victim's account, perhaps in court (is reported)...where there is then blaming of what that victim did or didn't do in the time they were being abused.
"Look at the impact that must have on victims that have not come forward.
"That must really put you off coming forward wouldn't it, if you're seeing that constant message of, 'will I be believed?'
"That went through my head. I work in the criminal justice system and I really, really feared I wouldn't be believed."
Criticism of the police
During our interviews Detective Superintendent Simpson and Chief inspector Baker spoke passionately about what Avon and Somerset Police and other forces nationwide are doing to try and address VAWG.
However, since those interviews were conducted, reports have been published highlighting the extent of VAWG committed by police officers themselves and criticising the culture within London's Metropolitan Police.
Earlier this month data released by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) showed there were more than 500 complaints made against officers by members of the public between October 2021 and March 2022 and there were also 653 conduct cases against officers in the same period.
Across Avon and Somerset over the same period 20 public complaint cases were recorded against 30 individuals, with nine conduct cases being recorded against 10 individuals.
This generated a total of 33 separate allegations, of which 20 related to public complaints and 13 related to conduct.
Additionally a report on the state of the Met Police in London found racism, misogyny and homophobia are at the heart of that force.
You can read more about the NPCC data and Avon and Somerset Police's response to it here and here.
You can read more about the findings against the Met here.
Support
If you are a survivor of domestic abuse or sexual assault, you can access a wide range of support services via this link.