Points 2 Prove
The Ultimate Police Handbook
An immediate response should be sent to a domestic abuse incident, subject to any risk indicators to the contrary. It is not normally appropriate to make an appointment for a victim of domestic abuse to attend the police station instead. Any delay increases the likelihood of the victim changing their mind or being intimidated in the meantime and it is common for victims to fail to attend.
There is some good evidence to show that where officers responding to domestic abuse are equipped with body worn cameras the proportion of sanctione detections resulting in a criminal charge increases. The impact of attending officers wearing BWV on the views and experiences of victims has not yet been explored however. Forces may want to consider whether officers equipped with BWV should be routinely assigned to domestic abuse incidents.
Call handlers should:
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Prioritise the safety of those at the incident, members of the public and officers |
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Ensure that medical assistance is en route, where appropriate |
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Make sure that support (backup) is available for officer(s) attending the incident, where appropriate |
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Inform the caller when an officer(s) has been dispatched |
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Inform the officer attending of all relevant information (see next section) |
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Inform the caller when police have arrived at the scene so that the officer(s) can be safely admitted to the premises |
Information to be provided to the attending officer includes:
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Details of any children present |
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The results of the IT and/or paper-based search outlined above |
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Whether the victim has a MARAC flag |
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Any communication difficulties (language/hearing/speech) |
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Any other factors that may affect the police response, e.g. injury, the presence of weapons (especially firearms), drug or alcohol use |
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A description of the suspect, where necessary |
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Whether supervisors are aware of the incident, in accordance with local policy |
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What the victim/caller first said to the call handler - this will help the officer if the victim minimises the incident on arrival because of fear or intimidation |
Providing these details helps attending officers to tailor their response to the specific situation and to make victims as safe as possible.
Call handlers should ensure that they accurately relay the information provided to them by the caller. Inappropriate comment or interpretation can lead to a less effective response by the attending officer.