Police still failing too many victims, inspectorate finds

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has today (19th July 2024) published its annual State of Policing report, finding:

• Offences of violence against women and girls (VAWG) remain highly prevalent, despite an overall downward trajectory in crime rates.
• Police officers are still struggling to get the basics right: responding promptly to calls for help, investigating incidents, keeping victims informed and bringing offenders to justice.
• The police need to improve how they share information through the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS), often referred to as ‘Clare’s Law’, particularly as ‘right to ask’ applications made by the public have risen by 301 percent in 5 years. Currently, forces take far too long to respond to these requests: 5 of 13 forces inspected had backlogs in processing requests, falling outside the statutory disclosure timeframe of 28 days.
• Since 2015, the proportion of victim-based offences that are brought to justice has substantially declined, including sexual offences. The End Violence Against Women Coalition has long raised the alarm about spiralling prosecutions for domestic abuse, which mirrors the justice system’s appalling response to rape in recent years.
• Despite repeated calls for reform, little has changed: last year, the chief inspector described the criminal justice system as dysfunctional and defective, and said its woeful state contributed to police inefficiency. Today’s report highlights how that is still the case, with unacceptable court backlogs and a legal aid system that is no longer fit for purpose having a considerable adverse impact on victims’ access to justice
• Violence against women and girls cannot be addressed through law enforcement alone. We welcome the inspector’s call for a more rounded approach to tackling VAWG, which includes not only policing but other government departments including education and health – mirroring the VAWG sector’s calls for a whole-society approach to ending this abuse.

The report comes a day after the Baird inquiry shed light on the routine unlawful arrest and stripsearch of victims of male violence against women when they seek protection from Greater Manchester Police.

Responding to the HMICFRS report, Andrea Simon, Executive Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said:

“Society has become increasingly aware of the scale of men’s offending against women, and expects these crimes to be tackled. But it is evident that policing has been far too slow to transform its culture, and that efforts to rebuild trust are severely undermined when victims continue to be routinely failed. It’s abundantly clear that we need a holistic approach to meaningfully tackle violence against women – one which prioritises prevention and a whole-society response.

Today’s report on the state of policing is the latest in a long line – from Baroness Casey’s review of the Met which found officers were able to abuse their position of power and authority with impunity, to the National Police Chiefs Council and College of Policing’s review which found police perpetrators of violence against women and girls seldom face consequences, and Dame Vera Baird’s inquiry into the punitive use of strip-search in Greater Manchester Police, which confirms the police are still not even getting the basics right, and that the problems with policing violence against women and girls are systemic.

The End Violence Against Women Coalition has long called for transformation in the culture of policing along with accountability, transparency and leadership to root out misogyny, racism and other forms of discrimination wherever they are found.

We call on the new government to ensure our criminal justice system is equipped to provide victims with justice and the service they deserve, and that much needed investment is made in delivering a coordinated, whole-society response to prevent violence against women and girls.”

ENDS

Media contact

Sinead Geoghegan, Head of Communications, media@evaw.org.uk 07960 744 502