West Mercia Police update on tackling violence against women

Deputy police and crime commissioner Marc Bayliss was updated by the force’s temporary chief constable. Improvements were cited as quicker response times to domestic abuse incidents, increased action against offenders, and increased referrals to the Crown Prosecution Service. The headway comes after five specialist officers for violence against women and girls (VAWG) were introduced in May 2023, as part of PCC John Campion’s Safer West Mercia Plan.

Advising on local domestic abuse incidents, the officers aim to refine their role’s focus further. Come January, community scrutiny panels will begin, centred on VAWG. Comprised of local independent members, the panels aim to improve services, learn from past experience, and provide greater accountability.

In order to deal effectively with domestic abuse incidents, a range of departments are partaking in victim-first focused training. However, it was acknowledged that, while progress has been made, more can be done.

The temporary chief constable recognised the potential to improve use of rapid video response within the Operational Control Centre. It was also noted that victim satisfaction scores remained slightly below the force’s target. Towards the meeting’s end, the conversation shifted to the specialist services commissioned by the PCC in relation to domestic abuse and aligning those to national best practice.

PCC John Campion voiced his understanding of victims’ hesitance in reporting abuse to the police, and expressed his assurance in the progress. He said: “I understand some victims of domestic abuse do not feel comfortable reporting their experiences to the police. “I hope the improvements covered at the Assurance and Accountability meeting reassure all victims that they are front and centre of both the work I and West Mercia Police do, and any report will be dealt with sensitively and properly.

“I remain committed to supporting and challenging the Chief Constable to ensure further improvements are made with a continued drive on delivering a service victims and survivors expect and deserve from their police force.”