Policing Domestic Violence Lessons from 30 years of practice Professor Betsy Stanko Head, Strategic Research and Analysis Unit Metropolitan Police, London May 2008 Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Outline of this presentation Policing domestic violence as core police business; Use victim knowledge to support their own safety – knowing more about how police support victims enhances the business of safety. Performance management as a mechanism to monitor improvement in policing as well as better victim care. Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Lesson One: Domestic Violence is Core Business of Policing… Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

A one day audit of calls (2000) to select UK services showed –Police received 1300 police calls (one call each minute) in the whole of the UK –Women’s Aid housed more women and children on this day than contacted the police –Marital Counselling services and Victim Support also devoted resources (for the Marital Counselling – one in 5 counselling services mentioned violence) –Thus, many acts of domestic violence are known by voluntary and statutory organisations –And research tells us that abused women are most likely to confide in family and friends Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Lesson Two: Policing matters Despite the small proportion of victims reporting domestic violence incidents, police records tell us a great deal. Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Police respond to a high number of requests for help in domestic violence One in four reported rapes in London are domestic related; One in three common assaults in London are domestic related; One in eight serious assaults in London are domestic related; Harassment and stalking are common. Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Understanding how victims use the police is critical to understanding how well policing responds to such pleas for help Such understanding of use can lead to a better understanding of victims’ risks Some victims use the police more than others A systematic review in London of police reports shows that repeat use of police for domestic violence by a small proportion – these range between 12 – 16% of all domestic violence callers in each borough in London Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Examining and analysing why and how victims use the police leads to a victim grounded approach to analysis of domestic violence from the view point of what police know – about the help they are giving and the help that is needed. Risk assessments – guided by research on ‘serious’ and ‘dangerous’ contexts where most serious domestic violence occurs – can be mapped onto and harnessed by police work Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology One London borough

Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology Some victims use the police more than others – we know who these people are

Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology Criminal offences differ, but what victims need – stopping the different forms of violence – is sometimes missed

Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology Yet violence against the person still dominates the way victims USE the police in domestic violence intervention

Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology Victims’ risks can be assessed through their knowledge of the offender High risk factors: separation; new birth/pregnancy; stalking; sexual assault; cultural sensitivities (‘so-called honour killing); isolation Vulnerability: mental health; drugs/alcohol Conflicts/difficulties/context: separation and jealously; child contact/custody Other alerts: previous history of violence to others across the board/ other criminality

Lesson Three: Performance manage the above by Focusing on those who need help – repeat usage; Focus on most serious violence and the risk of lethality; Follow the patterns in who uses the police, in those who report the most serious violence, and in particular learn the lessons from any death. Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Lesson Four: Independent Police Complaints Commission (England and Wales) on DV Deaths Police staff not using risk assessment tools robustly; Poor communication between police and other agencies – not sharing high risk noted elsewhere; Poor cooperation or strategy with other agencies around safety and protection of victims Missed opportunities to intervene early to prevent serious harm Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Final Lesson: You can use police information as a core foundation of police performance management; Such insight into ‘performance’ enables the police to deliver better accountability for the safety of women and men who face domestic violence in their everyday lives. Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology