Domestic abuse a priority for new police chief

Restore WA weighed in with the BBC on the findings of the recent police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) report and the new police chief’s commitment to making Domestic abuse a priority.

Katherine Ahluwalia, who trains police staff on domestic abuse, explained that when the charity risk assesses victims, they usually spend an hour with them in a calm environment, whereas when officers first attend a call out, “it’s an emergency situation, adrenaline is high.” She suggested secondary risk assessments should be done “once things have calmed down”.

The report also found that high risk cases had a high rate of being downgraded which it found “concerning”. According to Ahluwalia, that can mean delays getting victims on the correct pathway for care.

The new police chief, Mark Webster, has come out of retirement to temporarily lead the force until a permanent appointment is made next year. He says tackling issues raised in the report, including how domestic abuse cases are handled, is his priority.

I need to understand the level of demand, the level of resource and are we being busy on the right things

Tim Passmore, Suffolk’s Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner, said  the attitude to domestic abuse risk was not where it needed to be and that it was “disappointing” that when victims had repeatedly called police, their cases were not flagged as higher risk.

Read the original article on the BBC website – Domestic abuse a priority for new police chief