Violence Against Women and Girls
The harm caused to victims and society by violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all its forms – including but not limited to harassment, stalking, rape, sexual assault, murder, honour-based abuse, coercive control – is immeasurable.
While men and boys also suffer from many of these forms of abuse, they disproportionately affect women. A woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK. Domestic abuse makes up 18 per cent of all recorded crime in England and Wales. In the year ending March 2022, there were 194,683 sexual offences, of which 70,330 were rape.
Policing, and society, must focus on violence against women and girls so that it can be eradicated. The policing response has been shown to be inconsistent and so there is now a national focus on supporting forces to prioritise VAWG-related crimes.
What are we doing?
In December 2021, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing published a new police VAWG framework, developed under the leadership of the National Police Lead for VAWG Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, and informed by experts in policing, government and the VAWG sector.
This was updated and refreshed in March 2024.
The VAWG Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment (STRA) (accessible version available here) aims to support police forces to better understand the influences and levers that contribute to VAWG. Forces will use the STRA to effectively target their finite resources and decide how many officers will be needed to tackle the rising rates of violent and sexual crimes faced by women. It will also be used to identifying where they should focus specialist investigators, victim support and crime-fighting technology to tackle the problem.
Nearly all forms of VAWG are expected to continue to rise in the coming year.
The offences identified in the STRA as carrying the biggest threat to women are:
- Domestic abuse
- Rape and serious sexual offences
- Child sexual abuse and exploitation
- Tech enabled VAWG such as online stalking and harassment
A national Home Office funded research and change programme called Operation Soteria has also been launched. This collaborative programme brings together police forces with academics and policy leads to use evidence and new insight to change the way police investigate rape
DCC Maggie Blyth was appointed to her role in October 2021 following a recommendation by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) in their Interim Report: Inspection into how effectively the police engage with women and girls.
- Counter-terror approach to tackling VAWG adopted - 14 March
- Scale of homicide and suicides by domestic abuse victims revealed - 13 March 2024
- Transforming investigation and prosecution of domestic abuse - 8 December 2023
- Operation Soteria rolled out across England and Wales - 10 July 2023
- VAWG Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment (STRA) - 18 March 2023
- First violence against women and girls benchmark published - 15 March 2023
- Letter to Chief Constables from NPCC VAWG Leads - 20 February 2023
- Chiefs respond to Operation Soteria Bluestone Year 1 report - 15 December 2022
- NPCC and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners commit to partnership working to tackle violence against women and girls - 10 November 2022
- Publication of NPCC and College of Policing review of themes, learnings and recommendations on police-perpetrated violence against women and girls - 14 October 2022
- Publication of Outcomes and performance framework - 6 April 2022
- Police progress against new framework on violence against women and girls - 1 March 2022
- Publication of Policing violence against women and girls National framework for delivery: Year 1- 15 December 2021
- Final report from His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) on violence against women and girls - 17 September 2021
- Police chief appointed to tackle violence against women and girls - 15 September 2021
What forces are doing
All police forces in England and Wales now have an action plan to increase action against dangerous perpetrators, build women’s trust and confidence and help make spaces safer for all women. These plans are all based on the joint strategy released by the NPCC and the College of Policing.
Here are a few examples of action by forces across the country to keep women and girls safe.
NPCC lead for violence against women and girls, DCC Maggie Blyth visited City of London Police where she saw how officers are tackling spiking by drink testing and regular venue checks.
Hear how Essex Police are pursuing perpetrators of domestic abuse using innovative technology and prevention orders to stop offences and support victims more effectively.
Operation Lioness is a Greater Manchester Police project aimed at tackling violence against women and girls in the night-time economy, and ensures that everyone can enjoy a night out, safe from predatory behaviour and violence in all forms.