Ten years have passed since the HMICFRS raised attention to the scourge of domestic violence by publishing a report commissioned by former Home Secretary Theresa May. The report stated that the overall police response pertaining to domestic violence victims was inadequate, and that forces needed to take decisive action.
As of today, incidents of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) have surged to 'epidemic levels' in England and Wales. This alarming trend was highlighted in a report jointly published by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs' Council, titled “Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) National Policing Statement 2024.”
In the introduction of the report, DCC Maggie Blyth, who is the Deputy CEO of the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, emphasised the rising incidence of domestic violence. She stated, "We have seen a 37% increase in recorded Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)-related crimes from 2018/19 to 2022/23."
Additionally, she estimated that at least 1 in every 12 women will be a victim of VAWG each year, totalling about 2 million victims. Furthermore, she mentioned that 1 in 20 adults in England and Wales will be a perpetrator of VAWG annually, amounting to approximately 2.3 million perpetrators.
The epidemic of domestic abuse has been exacerbated by several factors. Evidence indicates that the COVID-19 lockdowns in the UK during 2020 and 2021, along with the ensuing cost of living crisis, have led to significant increases in domestic violence cases. Sadly, the numbers of reported incidents remain high today. Additionally, it's important to acknowledge that rates of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) may be underreported. Many victims of domestic abuse choose not to come forward, often due to safety concerns or a belief that their cases will not be taken seriously.
According to the National Centre for Domestic Violence, it is estimated that fewer than 24 percent of domestic abuse crimes are ever reported to the police. Additionally, a report from the Office for National Statistics indicates that, out of an estimated 2.1 million victims of domestic violence in England and Wales each year, only 51,288 such cases lead to prosecutions.
In a recent BBC interview, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper commented on this issue, stating that victims "need to know the police will be there for them." She emphasised that if they come forward, any report needs to be “treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves."
The UK government has acknowledged the increasing concern regarding Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and has set an ambitious target to reduce the number of VAWG cases by half over the next decade. To support this goal, in September, the government announced an initiative as part of Raneem's Law. This initiative will embed domestic abuse specialists in police control rooms across England and Wales.
While this decision is a significant step in the right direction, it also highlights the need for control rooms—where domestic abuse reports are received—to improve their ability to predict, forecast, and manage call demand related to violence against women and girls (VAWG). For instance, on which shifts and days are these calls most likely to occur? It is commonly understood that domestic violence incidents tend to increase during the Christmas holidays, but what about the rest of the year? Analysing data can provide valuable insights.
To address these questions, several organisations are now investing in NICE’s advanced interaction analytics technology, which has been successfully used for many years in commercial contact centres. This technology enables centres to automatically analyse incoming call data, categorising calls by day, time, and type. As a result, centres gain a clear understanding of the specific types of calls that drive demand for their services and when this demand occurs. With this information, centres can optimise their investment in embedded Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) resources to better align with demand.
Addressing domestic violence effectively begins with answering and responding to calls. However, to ensure true justice for victims, law enforcement and their judicial partners must see the process through. This involves securing early guilty pleas, making informed remand in custody decisions, and increasing the number of successful prosecutions. A key part of this process is ensuring that all necessary evidence—such as body-worn video, crime scene photos, witness statements, and CCTV footage—is provided to the investigating officer and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as quickly as possible.
Leicestershire Police Project Manager Allan Graham explains: “Previously, our manual methods of sharing evidence made it difficult to get body-worn video and CCTV footage to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) quickly enough to secure a pre-charge or remand decision. As a result, suspects often ended up being bailed or released under investigation.”
These actions clearly demonstrate that law enforcement agencies are taking their responsibility to investigate crime, bring offenders to justice, and keep communities safe very seriously—and they must! Due to the scale of the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) issue, it has been a central focus of the strategic policing requirement since February 2023. The mandate emphasises that the response to VAWG crimes must be treated with the same urgency as terrorism and other serious organised crimes.
Although more work is needed to encourage victims of domestic violence to come forward, it is encouraging to see how law enforcement agencies are leveraging innovative technology to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG).
