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. Violence against women and girls makes up just under 20% per cent of all recorded crime in England and Wales. In the year ending March 2023, police recorded 103,135 rape and serious sexual offences.
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.
The scale of the threat
In 2024, police chiefs declared VAWG a national emergency through a national statement, calling for a whole-system approach that brings together criminal justice partners, government bodies, health and education to collectively tackle the threat, through earlier identification of perpetrators and prevention work.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Helen Millichap took responsibility for the national portfolio for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in June 2025 and is also the Director of the National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP).
DAC Millichap said:
“The challenge with VAWG offences is the sheer scale and complexity of the crimes. But if we were able to identify patterns of behaviour early, interventions can also take place way before the police are involved, stopping future perpetrators and preventing new victims. The whole system needs to step into this threat, and it starts early. Policing has a unique role, and we are up for the challenge, but we are only one part of a wider system that must play their part.
“The work we have done over the last few years has been steadily creating a new culture in policing where I truly believe the focus required is not in doubt. What I want, is to show the public that progress is happening and for them to be confident that it is happening everywhere.”
Law enforcement alone cannot reduce the scale and impact of VAWG. 1 in 20 people are estimated to be perpetrators of VAWG per year, with the actual number thought to be significantly higher.
Evidence shows many of these perpetrators will have touch points with a number of agencies outside of policing through their life, presenting opportunities for intervention.
This includes health, education, local authority, voluntary sector and industry all working in tandem with the criminal justice system, sharing data and responsibilities to effect change across the board.
What are we doing?
In April 2025 the National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP) was launched. The NCVPP brings together several specialist teams working across VAWG and public protection threats and will work to improve how policing responds to these harmful crimes.
- We will support Chief Constables in developing an effective framework for a ‘whole force’ response.
- We work alongside other key NPCC portfolios to make sure we are equipping, training and developing police officers and staff to respond to these threats, from neighbourhood teams to specialist investigators. We are also part of the College of Policing which allows us to set national standards in support of this work, -both streamlined and practical- setting forces up to succeed.
- Working with forces, partners and the specialist sector, we will identify, share and scale up what works, recognising that we can only succeed as part of a ‘whole system’ response.
- We will keep the voice of victims and survivors at the heart of what we do.
In July 2024, the NPCC and College of Policing published a Violence Against Women and Girls National Policing Statement which aims to outline the scale and threat posed by VAWG and better understand the influences and levers that contribute to VAWG.
The statement follows the VAWG Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment (STRA) (accessible version available here), published in 2023. 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 in every force in England and Wales. 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. Data shows that Op Soteria has led to an 18% increase in charges for sexual offences and a 28% increase in adult rape charges in the year ending December 2023, compared to the previous year.
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.
T/CC 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.
- VAWG Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment - 16 December 2024
- Call to action as VAWG epidemic deepens - 23 July 2024
- National Policing Statement 2024 - July 2024
- Counter-terror approach to tackling VAWG adopted - 14 March 2024
- 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.
To find out more information about what forces are doing to tackle violence against women and girls, visit the College of Policing’s Practice Bank.
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.