To combat misogyny in policing, police leaders have pledged to share statistics annually. However, victims of domestic violence have told that women have lost faith in the police.
The fact that only 1% of more than 1,500 police officers and staff who received complaints about their treatment of women over six months were fired casts further doubt on the police’s ability to combat violence against women and girls.
The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) reports that between October 2021 and March 2022, the public filed 524 complaints against 867 officers and staff in England and Wales police forces.
91% of the 290 resolved cases resulted in no further action, and no officers or personnel were terminated.
During the same six-month period, an additional 672 police officers and staff were accused of committing acts of violence against women and girls.
As a consequence of these investigations, thirteen officers and staff members have been fired so far.
Following the high-profile cases of police officers David Carrick and Wayne Couzens, the figures have been released.
Last month, Carrick was condemned to life for multiple rapes and sexual assaults.
Couzens assassinated Sarah Everard in 2021. Since then, it has come to light that police ignored reports of indecent exposure that could have led to his arrest days before he abducted and murdered Sarah.
Rachel Williams, who endured 18 years of abuse at the hands of her husband and now advocates on behalf of women experiencing domestic violence, told, “People don’t feel secure reporting to police because of the events of the last few years.
“These cases have been presented to me. People question the utility of disclosing their experiences. They pose the question. Am I disclosing to a respectable police officer or am I disclosing to a perpetrator?”
She adds, “I believe the government’s top priority should be to listen to those who have gone through it.”
According to NPCC data, complaints against police officers included allegations of sexual harassment, discreditable conduct outside the scope of their duties, and sexual assault.
To encourage more victims to come forward, Leicestershire police established a new domestic abuse resolution team in September.
Officers working with a sexual assault referral center in the city aim to increase the number of perpetrators convicted.
Detective Superintendent Chris Baker is in charge of combating violence against women and girls in Leicestershire.
“We are dealing with them vigorously through police regulations and the criminal courts” with his officers under investigation.
He has invited female police officers and staff to discuss their workplace experiences.
“Whether they have experienced harassment, misogyny, or sexism, it will be eradicated because there is no place in policing for such attitudes towards women and girls,” he says.
Bringing criminals to justice is a crucial aspect of our work, as it allows us to protect victims.
Michelle Goddard, a police sergeant, has been entrusted with addressing the language officers use when responding to domestic violence calls.
“It’s about recognizing that victim-blaming or minimization language is completely unacceptable and that it creates a barrier that prevents people from feeling that we are the appropriate people to handle their complaint,” she told.
It prevents them from feeling secure with us and may prevent them from reporting at all.
Maggie Blyth, deputy chief constable and co-ordinator for violence against women and girls at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, told, “We recognize that the trust of women and girls across the country is shattered.”
“To restore that trust, the data we are releasing today demonstrate our accountability to women and girls”.
We want to demonstrate that we are indeed shining that light, that we will continue to do so. And that we will do everything possible to remove individuals who should not be employed in policing.
“We will work hard to improve the criminal justice system’s response to women and girls who come forward.” It is distressing to report domestic violence or rape. It is terrifying. We must work to ameliorate the outcomes for women and girls.”
