Officers better equipped to spot controlling behaviour

The Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment (DARA) replaces the domestic abuse, stalking and honour-based violence questionnaire (DASH), which most officers carry out at every domestic abuse call.

The college says DARA has an increased focus on coercive and controlling behaviour.

During a pilot there was a 38 per cent increase in the proportion of officers coming to the same decision on risk as an expert in domestic abuse. It meant officers were in a much stronger position to take steps to reduce or remove the risk to the victim and protect them from further harm.

College of Policing chief executive officer, Chief Constable Andy Marsh, said: “Violence against women and girls is a pervasive crime but it is not inevitable and policing must do everything we can to prevent it or stop it escalating. Officers must be totally equipped to spot all the signs, including some that are less obvious, so we can better protect victims and put more criminals behind bars.

“The College of Policing’s new risk assessment tool has been very successful in force pilots and will mean more officers making the right decisions at the right time to keep women and girls safe. Assessing the risk better allows us to put the right protections in place to stop abuse escalating or happening again.

“This is the latest in a suite of new resources, guidance and training the College of Policing is providing to support officers and staff in getting the basics right, so policing can rebuild the trust and confidence of communities.”

Coercive control was made a criminal offence in 2015 and can take many forms including emotional abuse, a partner limiting the other’s freedom, monitoring their movements, controlling their finances and isolating them from friends and family.

Minister for Safeguarding Sarah Dines said: “It is paramount that the police are well equipped to recognise abuse and protect victims. The new Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment will help to provide officers with the tools they need to keep vulnerable people safe.

“Through the Domestic Abuse Act we extended the controlling or coercive behaviour offence. We will soon be publishing updated guidance to support implementation of this new offence, so that police can be even more confident in investigating this pervasive criminal behaviour.”

The College of Policing already provides training on spotting the signs of coercive control through its Domestic Abuse Matters programme. The new DARA will complement this and was created using international research, interviews with survivors of abuse and the insights of frontline officers.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for domestic abuse, Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, said: “I’m really pleased to see the College of Policing introduce the new domestic abuse risk assessment. It’s been created by policing and academics working together so we can make sure officers have the best resources available when responding to domestic abuse.

“The new tool is more user-friendly and will allow police responders to identify and deal with risks of harm thereby helping to keep victims and survivors safer.

“We know there is more to do to reduce the number of domestic abuse cases but this is the latest step in making sure we protect victims as best as possible.”