Refuge responds to the Domestic Abuse Commissioners report
Responding to the ‘Shifting the scales: Transforming the criminal justice response to domestic abuse’ report, Ellie Butt, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Refuge, said:
The new report by Dame Nicole Jacobs reveals the horrific extent to which survivors of domestic abuse are being systematically let down by almost every aspect of the criminal justice system. On top of extensive delays to police responses to reported abuse, poor enforcement of protective orders, and the early release of perpetrators, survivors are suffering epidemic levels of police-perpetrated abuse. Even worse, it’s clear that there are abusers within police forces who are being allowed to act with absolute impunity.
The revelation that 96% of officers accused of abuse are allowed to keep their jobs illustrates that police forces are failing to root out domestic abusers and take violence against women and girls (VAWG) seriously. Notably, every force in England and Wales, with one exception, had at least one reported incident of police-perpetrated abuse in the year leading up to March 2024. When the system meant to protect survivors is actively complicit in abuse on this scale, it is utterly unsurprising that women’s confidence in the justice system is at a crisis point.
In 2023, Refuge’s ‘Remove the Rot’ campaign exposed the shocking magnitude of police forces’ failure to tackle misogyny and police-perpetrated VAWG. The same year, the Casey Report revealed the extent to which misogyny is culturally ingrained within the nation’s largest police force. Despite promises of reform, this new report reveals that two years on, almost nothing has changed.
We know that many survivors are fearful of reporting domestic abuse, as confirmed by Dame Jacobs’ report, which reveals that fewer than 20% of survivors are prepared to go to the police due to understandable concerns that the reported abuse will not be taken seriously. These perceptions are only compounded by the shocking scale of police misconduct, and the total failure to hold perpetrators accountable.
All too often, those who do choose to report their experiences are failed by the system supposed to protect them. As the new report reveals, only around 6% of domestic abuse offences reported to the police resulted in a perpetrator being charged. This totally undermines the justice system and could undeniably have a “chilling effect” on whether survivors choose to come forward in future.
While we welcome the call to expand the scope of the Victim Contact Scheme to better protect survivors of domestic abuse who face the early release of their perpetrators, we are disappointed that the report falls short of recommending that officers accused of domestic abuse or sexual offences are suspended pending an investigation and we urge the Government to make good on this manifesto pledge as a matter of urgency.
Enough is enough, and we echo the report’s conclusion that without proper steps to improve the criminal justice system’s response to domestic abuse, the Government will fail in its pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. We welcome the Government’s recognition of the scale of the problem, but it must match this with funding for structural changes to protect survivors and put the safety of all women and girls at the heart of policing. This must involve mandatory and quality staff training on domestic abuse and VAWG, reformed vetting practices, and urgent improvements to the handling of police misconduct.
Reform of the justice system is not a ‘silver bullet’. The report highlights the crucial role played by specialist domestic abuse services such as Refuge, and in the face of a funding cliff edge, it is essential that the Spring spending review recognises the need for dedicated funding to ensure that survivors have access to the life-saving support they deserve.