The most dangerous domestic abusers are to be monitored more closely using electronic tags under new proposals.
As part of crackdown plans, the Government may also invest up to £8.4 million over two years to fund specialist victim support programmes, and make police prioritise tackling violence against women and girls. The law will be changed so the police, prison and probation services have to jointly manage offenders with a conviction of controlling or coercive behaviour sentenced to at least a year or a suspended sentence, to better protect the public.
Around 2.4 million people in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse in the last year, and around one in five homicides are related to it, according to the Home Office. These abusers will also be recorded on the violent and sex offender register from now on, the Home Office said.
New civil orders being trialled in three areas in the UK could see offenders electronically tagged and made to attend behaviour change programmes.
The Ask for Ani codeword scheme – which allows those at risk or suffering from abuse to discreetly signal they need help – will now be piloted in Jobcentre offices across the UK. It was launched in 2021 in pharmacies, with emergency support accessed on average once a week since then.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “No woman or girl should ever have to feel unsafe in her home or community and I am determined to stamp out these appalling crimes. The Ask for Ani scheme provides a lifeline for anyone suffering from domestic abuse and we will continue to expand the scheme so that more people can access it, including piloting this service in the first Jobcentres."
The PM added: “As well as extra support for victims, we’re making it a priority for the police to tackle violence against women and girls and toughening up the way offenders are managed – preventing more of these crimes from happening in the first place, and bringing more perpetrators to justice.”
Work and pensions minister Mel Stride said: “As safe spaces with strong links to the wider community, DWP Jobcentres are uniquely placed to help vulnerable people access help on a local or national level.”
Patrick Ryan, chief executive of domestic abuse charity Hestia, which will expand its Safe Spaces programme in partnership with Ask for Ani in Jobcentres, said: “The more opportunities we can provide for victims to access vital specialist support in a safe way, the more lives that can be saved.”
Violence against women and girls is for the first time categorised as a national threat in the new strategic policing requirement published by the Home Secretary on Monday. That means police forces will have to treat it on a par with terrorism, serious and organised crime and child sexual abuse.
Suella Braverman said: “Domestic abuse is a despicable crime that leads to people’s closest relationships becoming a frightening existence of torment, pain, fear, and anxiety.
“It is completely unacceptable and as Home Secretary I will do everything in my power to stop it.”
The Home Office will also develop a new digital tool to help police identify likely perpetrators, even those without convictions.
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