Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) action plan - summer 2024 updates
7. Better use of powers
We will make better use of police powers to protect women and girls from perpetrators, such as civil orders and protection orders. We will work closely with partners to explore and maximise the use of wider powers such as public space protection orders and community orders to reduce offending and offer better public protection to women and girls.
Summer 2024 updates
Training more officers in the use of orders
We have made good progress in establishing new governance and oversight of the policing units responsible for obtaining and managing protective civil orders for VAWG. Regular CPD (continuous professional development) and learning is being delivered to officers.
In consultation with the Home Office, we are soon to launch a pilot in South Area Basic Command Unit focused on new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPO) through a Proactive Order Enforcement team. This aims to increase the numbers of orders being issued.
Increase the numbers of orders
In the six months since the VAWG action plan was published we have:
- increased the number of stalking protection orders by a further 23, which is a 9% increase
- increased the number of forced marriage protection orders by a further five, which is a 4% increase
- increased the number of domestic violence protection notices and orders by 18, which is a 19% increase
- increased the number of non-molestation orders by 40, which is a 2% increase
- maximised our partnership to widen access to the right powers to protect women and girls
- hosted an event for all local authority heads of community safety, BCU commanders and borough superintendents to share good practice in relation to the creation of safe places and spaces for women and girls
- recognised that public space sexual harassment has a significant impact on women and girls and can be a sign of escalating predatory behaviour. We are starting to collect a new data set within the new Connect system that can identify easily this crime type
- prepared for the new legislation that creates a new criminal offence where harassment is targeted to a particular gender in this way