Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls in Avon and Somerset 

Today, the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) released a statement on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), highlighting the serious and widespread nature of these crimes. The report emphasises the need for a coordinated effort involving criminal justice partners, government bodies, and industries to reduce the impact of VAWG. 

The statistics are alarming: at least 1 in 12 women will experience VAWG each year, with many incidents going unreported. Approximately 3,000 VAWG-related crimes are recorded daily, highlighting the urgency of this issue. The report identified five key areas of concern: 

• Rape and serious sexual offences 

• Domestic abuse 

• Stalking and harassment 

• Child sexual abuse and exploitation 

• Online and tech-enabled VAWG 

Avon and Somerset Police’s Response to VAWG 

Our goal at Avon and Somerset Police is to ensure that women and girls can live free from fear, harassment, and violence. We are committed to improving trust and confidence in the police, creating safer spaces, and focusing on prosecuting and preventing perpetrators from causing harm. 

In our region, we record around 3,000 VAWG offences each month, including domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking. To tackle this, we follow the NPCC VAWG Framework, which includes: 

• Building trust and confidence 

• Creating safer spaces 

• Focusing on perpetrators 

Key Initiatives Over the Last 12 Months: 

Creating Safer Spaces for Women and Girls 

Trust and confidence in the police are essential for encouraging women and girls to report offences. Last year, we launched the Walk & Talk Scheme for women aged 18 and over. This initiative allows women to discuss their safety concerns with a local police officer. So far, we have conducted 52 Walk & Talks, addressing issues like anti-social behaviour, poor street lighting, and public safety. As a result, 80% of participants reported increased confidence in the police. 

Recognising that many VAWG offences affect younger girls, we introduced the ‘Safety for Girls’ campaign. This campaign targets girls aged 11 to 18, encouraging them to report VAWG incidents. Focus groups revealed that 77% of girls felt unsafe on their way to and from school, particularly on public transport and in parks. Many reported experiencing harassment but felt reluctant to approach the police. In response, we are launching our Walk & Talk Scheme for girls in local schools across Bristol and Somerset this September to address their safety concerns and strengthen trust and relationships between the police and young girls.  

Alongside this, we also launched a bystander intervention campaign, ‘If Not You, Then Who?’ to educate the public on recognising and safely intervening in instances of harassment. This campaign aims to create safer public spaces by empowering the community to act against inappropriate or threatening behaviour. 

Targeting perpetrators of child exploitation and VAWG 

Protecting vulnerable victims and relentlessly pursuing high harm and repeat perpetrators of VAWG is another key priority for us.  

Earlier this year we launched Project Vigilant, a new initiative to target and prevent perpetrators of sexual harassment or offences on nights out. This proactive operation sees plain clothed officers patrol busy night-time areas to identify anyone displaying signs of predatory behaviour, such as loitering, harassment, and following lone women. If such behaviour is spotted, uniformed officers will intervene. The very first deployment of Project Vigilant resulted in a particularly positive outcome in Weston-Super-Mare when officers intervened when they noticed a member of a group of males lifting the dress of a girl who was with them and touching them in a sexual manner. Upon first intervening, the officers were told that the girl was the male’s girlfriend and nothing non-consensual was happening, however, later in the night they were approached again by the young women asking for help, stating that she had in fact only met the male that evening and further concerning behaviour from him had been identified. The woman was taken home safely whilst the identity of the male was established, and a risk assessment and follow-up plan put in place to prevent future offending. 

Last month we also highlighted some of the great work of our Night Light team who work behind the scenes to combat night-time exploitation and harm by building trusting relationships with female street sex workers to gather intelligence and information on vulnerable young people and children being exploited and abused into sex work.  

Their incredible work has seen numerous children safeguarded and dangerous individuals identified. Alongside this, they have gained the trust of multiple women on the street who have disclosed serious sexual assaults, leading to positive prosecutions and interventions, preventing perpetrators from causing further harm.  

Tackling domestic abuse 

It is estimated that around 37 percent of all VAWG offences are domestic abuse related. So far this year (January – June 2024), we have conducted 2,694 arrests linked to domestic abuse, and we continue to work with high-risk victims to encourage more reports which allow us to prosecute and prevent perpetrators from re-offending.  

During the recent Euros Football tournament, we partnered with Next Link Domestic Abuse Services to provide critical assistance and improve investigations during some of the victim’s most vulnerable moments. From 14^th June to 14^th July, a dedicated response car consisting of a police officer and a specialist Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) from Next Link was deployed to visit victims of domestic abuse within the first 24 hours after their initial police contact, while the suspect was still in custody.  

Through this enhanced partnership response, a number of victims were supported and empowered to provide statements and engage in the police process during the follow-up visit, with 42 percent of those visited agreeing to give additional evidence to police and 81 percent agreeing to onward support and safeguarding.  

Earlier this year, we also ran an operation over five days that targeted suspects of domestic abuse. This led to eight arrests for offences including domestic actual bodily harm, domestic burglary, and malicious communications. The operation took a proactive, perpetrator focused approach which allowed us to secure quicker arrests and get earlier safeguarding measures and support in place for victims.  

In domestic abuse cases where it was decided to take no further action, we now hold regular scrutiny panels with partners from the criminal justice system and victim support services. This allows us to look back on these cases, discuss what we could have done differently and improve the way we handle future domestic abuse cases. 

Improving our own culture around VAWG  

Following on from our work in tackling domestic abuse, we have our own DA Matters programme which was designed by domestic abuse charity, SafeLives. The programme has seen over 2,000 officers receive specialised training to better deal with domestic abuse offences, both in understanding the behaviours of perpetrators and helping them to spot the signs of domestic abuse, as well as how to effectively support victims and understanding the impact of domestic abuse. It is vital that domestic abuse victims are confident that if they reach out to us that all our officers and staff are equipped to support them in the best way possible.  

In 2022, we commissioned the support of national sexual violence and safeguarding organisation, LimeCulture, to help us understand our own culture around inappropriate sexual behaviour within policing, recognising that in order to continue effectively policing our communities with increasing trust and confidence, we needed to address any internal culture issues as a priority.  

The findings of the report identified a lack of confidence amongst police staff and officers in reporting inappropriate behaviour due to a lack of understanding and support in the reporting process. As a result, we have recently introduced a new Sexual Misconduct Liaison Officer and cohort of Sexual Misconduct Advocates who provide a crucial support system for individuals affected by this within our organisation, offering guidance through reporting procedures, as well as delivering training to line managers on how to identify inappropriate behaviour and appropriately call it out and report it. There is no place for inappropriate sexual behaviour within policing and we are committed to rooting out anyone who may fall below the standards of expected behaviour, protecting both our colleagues and importantly, members of the communities we serve.  

At Avon and Somerset Police, we are committed to creating a safer environment for women and girls. Through community engagement, targeted initiatives, and internal change, we strive to build trust, ensure safety, and disrupt perpetrators. Our ongoing efforts aim to reduce the impact of VAWG and support victims in our community. 

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.