Over 800 domestic abuse allegations have been made against officers and staff in the last five years, according to BBC research.
Despite the high number of complaints, only 43 cases out of the 800 resulted in prosecution. This equates to just 5%. The investigation reveals that most victims of domestic abuse do not feel like their allegations were properly investigated.
The victims willing to discuss their abuse with the BBC research team are all unhappy with how the allegations are handled. Lucy, who is remaining anonymous for legal reasons, says she quit her job because of how the force treat victims. She believes that the police are reluctant to investigate each other.
Lucy says that perpetrators of abuse use their knowledge of the criminal justice system. As Police Officers, they know how “to clean a crime scene” or the “evidence needed to meet a charge”. In a damning statement, Lucy calls them ‘untouchable’.
The National Police Chiefs Council refute these claims, saying “there is no room in policing for those who abuse others”.
Victim commissioner Dame Vera Baird is calling for any allegations against an officer to be investigated by another force. She summarises that it is the only way to “get a good investigation”.
Police deny all allegations of allowing domestic abuse
National Police Chief Council member Louisa Rolfe refutes all the above claims. She says policing relies on victims having confidence in the police for them “to do their jobs effectively”.
Mrs Rolfe says the police are really focusing on prosecuting people for domestic abuse. It is “challenging”, whether they are police officers or any other walks of life.
The Beaureu of Investigation, in an article entitled Years of Living in Fear, reveals that a lawyer has launched a “super complaint”. Since its release, over a hundred more women have come forward and two police forces have made changes to their practice.
Nev Kemp, Surrey Police’s Deputy Chief Constable, says the report is damning. He actively encourages other forces to “turn the stone and have a good look”. Mr Kemp conducted his own audit into the investigation and found himself “quite disappointed” in how the cases are being dealt with.
Citing that “not everything was as good as it could be”, Nev actively encourages police forces to work on how they deal with domestic abuse. He believes if the public can not trust us to deal with it properly “with our own” then it casts doubts on how they will deal with outside allegations.
Encouraging action sooner rather than later, Nev says they need to send a message to the public. A message saying “actually this matters to us”, before proactively working on making a change.
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