policing the lockdown: domestic abuse and vulnerability ... · betsy stanko and jyoti belur, jill...

Policingthelockdown:domesticabuseandvulnerabilityBetsyStankoandJyotiBelur,JillDandoInstitute,UCLKatrinHohl,CityUniversityofLondon

TheproblemDomesticabuse(DA)iscommon,andincludespatternsofintimidationandcontrol,withorwithouttheuseofphysicalandsexualviolence.Itisamainstayofresponsepolicing,whereitconstitutesdailycallsforhelpfromthepublic. WhatweknowaboutdomesticabuseandhowweknowitUsingcrimesurveystoestimateprevalence,theCrimeSurveyofEnglandandWales(CSEW)offersalongtermtimeseriesviewofDAascommoninwomen’slives.AccordingtotheCSEW,nearlyoneinthreewomenaged16to59yearsreporthavingexperiencedsomeformofDAsinceaged16.DAisespeciallycommonamongrepeatvictimsofcrime,particularlyforwomen.MentooexperienceDAandthedatashowthattheimpactandincidenceislowerthanwomen.AccordingtotheCSEWendingMarch2018only18%ofwomenwhohadexperiencedpartnerabuseinthepast12monthsreportedtheabusetothepolice.OnaveragethepoliceinEnglandandWalesreceiveover100callsrelatingtodomesticabuseeveryhour(HMIC,2015).Priortothelockdown,twowomenaweekarekilledindomesticabusecircumstances,andlethalityhasbeenslowingincreasingovertime.Domesticabusecanbeexperiencedfromthosewholiveinthesamehousehold,andthosewhereseparationhasoccurredbecausedomesticabusehascontributedtoabreakdownintherelationship.Domesticabusemaypersistafterseparation,andthesharingofchildcarearrangementsfollowingseparationisknowntobeaflashpointforfurtherabuse.

WhatwethinkmighthappenintheCOVID-19pandemicIsolatingthevictimfromfamilyandfriendsisacommonelementindomesticabuse.EnforcedisolationthroughtheCOVID-19lockdownprovidesanidealcontextforperpetrators,andwillposespecialdifficultiesforthoseinrelationshipswhereabusebehavioursexist.Financialworries,joblossorfurlough,andotherstressorswillexacerbatetensionsandmayleadtotheonsetofviolenceortrapvictimsinsituationswherethereislittlecontactwithotherswhomayhelpserveasabufferoravenuetoescapingabuse.Moreover,therehasbeenadropintheuseofA&E,GPsandotherhealthofficialswhoareanotherroutetosaferstrategies.Schoolshavebeenclosed,andthesetoohavebeenlinkstosafeguardingchildrenwhomaybeexperiencingabuse.DAcharitiesreportadramaticriseincallsforhelpandpresentedearlyevidencethatcasesescalatemorequicklytobecomemorecomplexandserious,withhighlevelsofphysicalviolenceandcoercivecontrol.Callstopoliceareexpectedtospikeafterlockdown,whenvictimshavemoreopportunitytoinvolvepolicesafely.Itisimportantduringthistimeforthepolicetoconsiderlessonslearnedfromrespondingtodomesticabuseduringexceptionalcircumstances.Whilerespondingtoneed,usethisopportunitytoreflectonhowtoimproveandflexpoliceresourcestoworkmostcloselywiththirdsectororganisationsofferingrespiteandescape.Sincethelockdowndomestichomicideshavedoubled,andthereislittleknowledgeoftheimpactofthelockdownonchildrencaughtinhomeswheretensionsandabuseareescalating.InherfirstCOVID-19pressbriefingon11thApril,theHomeSecretarystressedtheurgencyandimportanceofanationalresponsetotheemergingDAcrisis,includingwhatwaspromisedasarobust

Aboutthisseries:Thisisbrief6ofaseriesofshort,speculativepapersdevelopedbytheUCLJillDandoInstitutetosupportthepoliceservicesduringthecurrentpandemic.Theraisond’êtreoftheseriesisfullydescribedat:https://www.ucl.ac.uk/jill-dando-institute/research/COVID-19-special-papers

policeresponse.Whatthisresponseis,andhowwellmatchedtotheneedforhelpinDAmatters,hasbeenthesubjectofdebateandresearchforoverthreedecades.Thenuanceofhowpolicerespondtoacallforhelp,theresearchsuggests,shouldbeinformedbyanunderstandingofthehistoryoftheabuse,thefeelingofthreatanddangerthevictimfeels,whotheoffenderisandwhattheoffender’shistoryofmentalhealth,useofviolenceandcontrollingbehavioursis.WhilethedocumentationofconcernabouttheuseoftheriskassessmentforDAchallengesitsconsistentusehereandabroad,thesafetyofvictimsandchildrenduringlockdowncanbetrackedandtracedasacarefulfollowuptothisincreasedneedforhelp.On2ndMaythegovernmentannouncedafurther£76msupportforsurvivorsofdomesticabuseandtheirchildrenwhoarenow“trappedinanightmare”.Thisincludesfundingfrontlinecharitieswhohaveexperienceasurgeofrequestsforadvice,supportandaccommodationasaconsequenceofbeinglockedupduringCOVID-19.TheHomeAffairsSelectCommitteeon24thApriloutlinedthevastanddevastatingconsequencesofadomesticabusecrisis,whichmaylastagenerationifleftunaddressed.Itcalledfortheurgentdevelopmentofadomesticabusestrategy,includingapolicestrategyforandimmediatelyafterlockdown,whencallstopoliceareexpectedtospike.ItisexpectedthattheriseinDAisnottemporary;rather,theon-goingeconomicandpsychologicalstressorsoftheCOVID-19pandemicarepredictedtokeepdomesticabuseatelevatedrates.SomeideasinresponseWhiledemandforpolicehelphasbeenpersistentovertime,policethemselvesreporttheincreaseneedDAvictimshaveforpolicehelpduringthepandemiclockdownsofar.Thisisagoodtimetoconsiderwaysofworkingdifferently,orimprovingthewayofworkingwithvictimsofDA,byconsideringwhatisdifferentduringCOVID-19andwhatisthesame.COVID-19scientificobservershaveadmittedthattheyarealllearningabouttheviruswhilestudyingitsimpactonthepopulation.Policingcandothesame.ItislikelythatmorepoliceofficersacrosstheforcehavehadtorespondtoDAincidents,asreportsofothercrimehasdroppedasmuchas21%(HomeAffairsSelectCommittee2020).Itwouldbeusefultohighlighttheseincidentsforfurtherquicktime,moredetailedanalysis.Arethevictimsrepeatvictims?Arethevictimsfirsttimecallersforpolicehelp?HowcanthepoliceresponselinkvictimswithfrontlinecharitiessupportingDAvictims?Inadditiontotheissuesofhealthandsafety,aretheresituationswherethetensionsandviolenceareescalating?Canyouharnessneighbourstoactasbystandereyesandearstoalertpolicetodisruptingviolence?Thereisevidencethatalcoholusehasincreasedunderthelockdown.Areresponseofficersusingdomesticabuseriskassessmentssystematically?Inwhatcircumstancesareoffendersarrested?Doriskassessmentscontributetothesafetyofvictimsinyourforce’sresponsestoDA?Whatkindofsystematicinformationmighthelpyoureflectonthekindsofservice–andpossiblepreventionactions–yourforcemighttakeinanticipationthattherewillbemorecallsforhelpduringlockdown?Schoolsarestillopenforvulnerablechildren.ItmightbepossibletoconsiderwhethervulnerablechildreninsituationsofDAareattendingschool.SchoolscouldbethewelfarehubforchildrenlivinginconditionsofDA.Relevantresourceswww.womensaid.org.ukwww.nationaldahelpline.org.uk08082000247www.safelives.org.ukwww.whatworks.college.police.ukforresourcesondomesticabuse