Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Stands Against Senior West Mids. Officer On Domestic Abuse

Friday, 30 October 2020 11:04

By John Warburton @Warblefly

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner supporting officers' roles against domestic abuse

"It has taken too many years for Domestic Abuse to be recognised as a serious crime so it is extremely disappointing to hear comments from a senior police officer that lack insight into the true nature and devastating impact this crime has upon its victims."

Sussex's Police and Crime Commissioner has taken a stand against comments by the West Midlands' Chief Constable, who's questioned the balance of police time between investigating domestic abuse, and other crimes.

The county's police service offers ways to report domestic abuse at this link, including advice on maintaining confidentiality.

In a report for a think-tank, and later in an interview with The Times newspaper, CC David Thompson observed that police were becoming increasingly responsible for what he reportedly called “policing relationships”, but it was “debatable whether or not that’s actually something best discharged by the police in all cases”.

When speaking to the paper, he added:

"There are 1,000 harassment reports a week — that’s 14 per cent of crime.

"That volume of work that’s largely around policing relationships is growing so enormously that it’s consuming more and more resources."

But Katy Bourne, whose role as Police and Crime Commissioner is to oversee Sussex Police, spoke out against the suggestion of distancing police from involvement in domestic abuse cases:

"We know that two women a week are killed through incidents of domestic abuse and, in Sussex alone, we currently have eight ongoing domestic homicide reviews.

"Learning from previous homicide cases, we know that not all are categorised as 'high risk' from the start.

"This fact alone should be a stark reminder of just how quickly and terribly these crimes can escalate.

"To disregard domestic abuse in this way means that we are disregarding 22% of all reported crime.

"Police Chiefs cannot cherry pick which crimes they respond to.

"If a vulnerable person reaches out for help, the police should be there to respond and protect them in any way they can from domestic abuse.

"Victims should not need a physical manifestation like broken bones or black eyes to prove the many years of coercive control they may have suffered.

"I want to offer reassurance that I do not align with the statement made today."

Sussex Police's resources for tackling domestic abuse, when reported, include both immediate intervention, and the recently-established Local Resolution Team of officers.