NPCC welcomes draft Domestic Abuse Bill

NPCC lead for Domestic Abuse, Deputy Chief Constable Louisa Rolfe said: “I welcome the broad range of measures within the draft bill because policing alone cannot solve domestic abuse. The latest Office for National Statistics data shows forces across England and Wales responded to over one million incidents of domestic abuse in the year ending March 2018 and investigated nearly 600 thousand offences, yet we know many victims never come forward. 

“We have improved our response despite resource pressures across policing and much greater demand.  Our job is to protect victims and bring offenders to justice but prosecution is only a part of the solution. Effective support for victims and their families and intervention for perpetrators is key.

“I am all too aware that too many victims have a poor experience when they report abuse and, with the Crown Prosecution Service, I am determined to improve their experience of the criminal justice system.  However, we must work with others in education, probation, health, social care and housing to ensure support is joined up and intervention is effective.  The Bill provides an opportunity to achieve this.”