Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls – National Policing Statement 2024

Police chiefs have outlined the scale of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in England and Wales in a national policing statement bringing together comprehensive data and analysis.

Due to the epidemic scale of offending, police leaders are calling for a whole-system approach that brings together criminal justice partners, government bodies and industry, in a new partnership that seeks to reduce the scale and impact of VAWG.

Following publication of the National Policing Statement for VAWG, South Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Joanna Maal said:

“Everyone has the right to feel safe, wherever they are, and nobody should be subjected to violence, harassment and intimidation.

“Tackling violence and abuse against women and girls is a long-standing priority for South Wales Police and we recognise that concern regarding personal safety and violence is as great as it has ever been.

“As a force we have an excellent history of partnership working. We target resources towards clear routes to safety for victims, supporting and empowering survivors and investing in evidence-based interventions that tackle root causes, addressing the harmful attitudes and behaviours that result in violence and abuse.

“As well as high-visibility and plain-clothed patrols, we are involved in a wide range of initiatives to tackle violence and abuse including StreetSafe, the Cardiff Safety Bus and Swansea Help Point.

“As part of the UK Government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, we are involved in a new online tool called StreetSafe, which allows people to pin-point locations where they have felt unsafe and to identify why that location made them feel unsafe.

“Using that information we can then direct our patrols and, with partners, make improvements to infrastructure such as lighting and CCTV.

“We are work closely with partners such as the local authority, universities and Street Pastors to continue making South Wales a safe place for women and girls and ensure people feel safe when going about their everyday business.”

South Wales Police has introduced a series of new measures as part of its long-standing commitment to tackling violence against women and girls.

Here are some examples:

Cardiff Safety Buses

The Cardiff Safety Buses have received national recognition for their work in tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG)

Since September 2021, the Cardiff Safety Buses have safeguarded more than 2,850 vulnerable people on the streets of Cardiff.

The initiative was a regional winner in the Safe Spaces category of the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing’s VAWG recognition event.

More than 140 entries were received and judged by representatives from charities including SafeLives and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

After Dark patrols

We deploy additional officers to city centres on Friday and Saturday nights and on other key dates, for example during the Freshers period and major events days, to ensure increased visibility and reassurance to people enjoying the night-time economy.

We also deploy plain clothes officers to patrol city centres to prevent violence against women and girls by targeting suspicious individuals and those displaying unwanted sexual behaviour.

StreetSafe

As part of the UK Government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, we are part of a new online tool called StreetSafe, which allows people to pin-point locations where they have felt unsafe and to identify why that location made them feel unsafe. We then use this information to inform our deployment strategies and, with partners, make improvements to infrastructure such as lighting and CCTV.

The Cardiff Community Safety Partnership was awarded £432,000 from the Home Office’s Safer Streets fund,. The money has been used to buy 20 CCTV cameras and install better LED lighting and other safety improvements.

CCTV

There is an extensive CCTV network in Cardiff city centre which is monitored 24/7 and the camera room staff are in direct contact with officers on the ground. For example, if a CCTV operator identifies criminal or suspicious behaviour, they alert officers on the ground.

In addition, we have worked with Cardiff Council and Bute Park management to assess Bute Park on what additional measures could be introduced to help prevent and detect crime, and as a result there have been improvements in CCTV.

Vulnerability training

Police officers have also trained staff at city centre licensed premises to help them identify and safeguard vulnerable people and we regularly see examples of where this training has paid off.

If incidents occur, we alert them and ask them to be extra vigilant.

We take all reports of spiking seriously and encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of spiking in any form to contact us.

Operation Soteria

South Wales Police was a pilot force for Operation Soteria which aims to transform the way in which rape and serious sexual offences are investigated. This has now been rolled out across all 43 police forces in England and Wales. Although there is still more work to be done, South Wales Police has among the highest positive outcome rates for rape in England and Wales.

Extra funding

South Wales Police & Crime Commissioner secured an extra £749,652.85 funding to deliver a series of initiatives aimed at keeping women safe in Cardiff.

The money is used to deliver new approaches to address women’s safety including:

Expanding the South Wales Police Safety Bus project.
Establishing Street Help Points – intercoms at three key locations – to provide direct access to the police and emergency workers when they feel threatened or unsafe.
Installing new street-based CCTV cameras in key locations.
Updating lighting in targeted underpasses
Expanding the number of ‘Safe Places’ where people can seek help and refuge if they feel threatened or intimidated.

Many instances of violence against women and girls comes in the form of domestic abuse and violence.

Detective Superintendent Clayton Ritchie, force lead for domestic abuse and violence, said:

“Tackling domestic abuse and violence is a long-standing priority for South Wales Police and we will relentlessly pursue those who inflict misery on their victims.

“Those who are suffering domestic abuse can be assured that we will do everything we can to support and protect them from harm.

“There is still work to be done to improve the experience and service victims receive when they report abuse. Domestic abuse cases are some of the most complex crimes that police deal with and we’ve worked hard to increase victims’ confidence to report. I want to reassure victims of all forms of domestic abuse who come forward that they will be listened to, treated with respect and compassion and we will carry out thorough investigations.

“We know and understand that many people may feel scared about reporting their abusive partner and we will use all types of evidence, including police body-worn video and police officer statements to support prosecutions.

“Though policing alone cannot solve domestic abuse, we must work with others in education, probation, health, social care and housing to ensure support is joined up and intervention is effective.

“As a force, we have invested in improving our response to domestic abuse and violence, which includes enhanced training for officers, improved risk awareness and assessment and greater collaboration with our criminal justice partners to deliver justice for survivors of domestic abuse.”

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