ISSUES
: Domestic Violence
Chapter 2: Tackling domestic abuse
36
“In the short term we can protect
people and property. But we can
also start the process with children’s
services, education, mental health or
probation to ensure we have a clear
understanding of the family history
and develop a plan to best address a
child’s behaviour.”
West Midlands Police recently
doubled the number of officers in
its Public Protection Unit – meaning
one in ten of all officers now work in
these specialist teams – and now has
dedicated domestic abuse teams to
investigate crimes, protect victims
and manage offenders.
Detective Superintendent Angie
Whitaker, force lead for domestic
abuse, said: “A report by HMIC in
March found West Midlands Police
provides a good service when
identifying and tackling domestic
abuse – commending our investment
in this area and the positive shift of
culture across the force.
“These specialist units have all the
knowledge and tactics they need to
protect people from harm and I would
urge all domestic abuse victims to
speak out; they will be listened to,
taken seriously and their report will be
investigated fully.”
Tospeak toyour localPublicProtection
Unit call West Midlands Police on 101.
More support is available through:
– a child
mental health charity and parent
helpline
–
behavioural management specialising
in domestic abuse and destructive
relationships within families
2 October 2015
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The above information is
reprinted with kind permission
from the West Midlands
Police. Please visit
-
midlands.police.uk for further
information.
© West Midlands Police 2015
Closure of refuges could
send UK back to
Cathy
Come Home
days
By Lydia Smith
D
omestic violence refuges are
essential for safeguarding
the lives of women and
children against abuse. But as they
close one by one, the network is
under terrible strain. As local funding
is cut, the country is entering a
crisis that could set support for
some of the most vulnerable back
by four decades.
Born out of the feminist movement
of the 1970s, Britain was one
of the first countries to pioneer
special safe houses for women
fleeing physical and sexual
violence at home. The first of its
kind, Chiswick’s Women’s Aid for
battered women was opened in
London in 1971 by Erin Pizzey.
But today [25 November], on
the International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against
Women, Women’s Aid estimates
155 women and 103 children are
turned away from the refuges that
still exist.
According to Sandra Horley,
chief executive of the national
domestic violence charity Refuge,
the closures pose the possibility
of “returning to the days of
Cathy
Come Home
”.
Several reasons underpin why
refuges are struggling, in scenes
reminiscent of the 1966 BBC
television play. In some areas, safe
houses face closure in favour of
preventative work and support in
the community but many are shut
with no alternative for victims of
domestic violence.
Funding cuts
Other houses have had funding
cut because they do not take men,
while some have been shut entirely
without alternative accommodation
being provided. The Haven
Wolverhampton, which has run
refuges for 41 years, recently had
its funding cut by £300,000 and is
struggling to maintain services. It
has been forced to reserve some
of its places for men, even though
it has not had a male referral so far.
Sandra Horley, chief executive of the
national domestic violence charity
Refuge, tells IBTimes UK refuge
provision is under threat as a result
of ongoing cuts to local funding and
poor commissioning practices.
“Over the last few years, local
authority funding for domestic
violence services has been eroded
as a result of ongoing austerity
measures,” she said. “Services
for black and minority ethnic
women have been hit particularly
hard. Refuge has also seen the
emergence of a number of worrying
trends in commissioning practices.”
Such commissioning practices
include limiting numbers of non-
local women able to stay in refuges.
“Some
commissioners
are
demanding that refuge spaces
be reserved for women from
the local area,” Horley adds.
“This demonstrates a very poor
understanding of the reality of
domestic violence, which often
forces women and children to flee
across local boundaries in order to
stay safe.
“Some contracts do not include
any refuge provision at all, whilst
others are replacing refuges with
dispersed accommodation. This
means that abused women and
children are housed in isolated
units, with little support to help
them recover from the trauma of
experiencing horrific, and often
prolonged, abuse.”
Refuge is currently calling on the
Government to open a public inquiry
into the failure of state agencies
to protect women and children
experiencing domestic abuse.
