Devon & Cornwall Police News site

Devon and Cornwall Police has today pledged its ongoing commitment to tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) after the publication of a national policing statement published by the College of Policing and the National Police Chief’s Council (NPPC).

The statement published figures that show that over one million VAWG related crimes were recorded during 2022/23 – 20 per cent of all police recorded crime. The statement also published figures which show online and tech related VAWG has increased by 37 per cent from 2018/19 to 2022/23.

In the statement, The College of Policing and NPCC have set out a number of national recommendations for policing including a whole-system partnership approach to reduce offending. It aims to bring together criminal justice partners, statutory agencies, charities, and the private sector to help reduce the scale and impact of VAWG related crime. It also recommends the launch of a national Centre for Public Protection for forces to help embed improvements.

VAWG is not a single type of crime but a collection of offences, including domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and harassment. The Force is committed to its ongoing work to tackle the issue and together with partners remains focussed on pursuing offenders and ensuring victims are supported.

Key activity across both counties includes:

• Roll out of the Domestic Abuse Matters (DA Matters) change programme, delivered by Safe Lives, to help improve the Force’s response to DA and the support of victims through the Criminal Justice system.
• Op Soteria - which aims to improve the response of the police service to victims of rape and sexual offences and their experience of the criminal justice process. This has resulted in a greater number of cases going to court and better support for victims
• Following a six-month trial across Devon and Cornwall, the Walk and Talk initiative – where women can discuss in person with an officer about places where they do not feel safe – has now been implemented as business as usual.
• The Force continues to support a range of initiatives to help tackle VAWG including the Safe Spaces scheme which is available in locations across Devon and Cornwall. It is actively involved in the Ask Angela scheme and has also supported the Ask For ANI (Assistance Needed Immediately) scheme in Boots and other pharmacies providing a safe place for domestic violence victims to receive support.
• The Force has adopted Project NightEye, a policing approach which is designed to make the ENTE a hostile environment for sexual predators.
• The Force plays a full and active role in a number of community safety partnerships, a multi-agency safeguarding hub, and both adult and child safeguarding boards.

Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce said: “We remain firmly committed to keeping women and girls safe across Devon and Cornwall and I welcome today’s statement which clearly states this issue can be addressed by all agencies working together in a whole system approach.

“VAWG is a priority area for us, and we will continue to work closely with our partners both statutory and non-statutory to protect and seek justice for victims.

“As the statement published today shows, sadly a large number of offences committed against women and girls still go unreported. I would strongly encourage anyone who has been a victim to come forward and speak to us. I can assure all women and girls in our communities that we will thoroughly investigate and offer them as much help and support as we can.”

You can read the Violence Against Women and Girls national policing statement here - https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/call-to-action-as-violence-against-women-and-girls-epidemic-deepens-1.

You can make a report in a variety of ways: online at www.devon-cornwall.police.uk, by calling 101 or dialling 999 if a crime is in progress. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.