Safeguarding scheme in the national spotlight

A PLYMOUTH-born safeguarding scheme has been praised in a national police report which has highlighted grave concerns about the shocking rise in violence against women and girls.

- CARL EVE

The report – presented by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) – has made a call to action to tackle the issue after it was found that two million women are estimated to be victims of violence perpetrated by men each year in an epidemic so serious it amounts to a “national emergency”.

Maggie Blyth, the police national lead for VAWG, said: “Violence against women and girls is a national emergency. We need the support and direction of government to intervene and address the current problems within the criminal justice system and lead the way on a wholesystem approach to VAWG.

“We need to move forward as a society to make change and no longer accept VAWG as inevitable.”

The NPCC report, which analysed official data, said:

■ One in six homicides in England and Wales are linked to domestic abuse, or 100 out of the 590 homicides in the year to March 2023.

■ 20% of all police-recorded crimes - more than 1m offences a year - count as VAWG. These include sexual assault, stalking, harassment, domestic violence, and controlling and coercive behaviour. The true total is estimated in the report to be twice as high.

■ Recorded cases of VAWG increased by 37% between 2018 and 2023, now at 3,000 offences a day.

■ Perpetrators are getting younger, dashing hopes that violence against women may reduce markedly as time passes.

■ Child sexual abuse and exploitation increased by more than 400% between 2013 and 2022. Offences committed by children increased to 55.6% of the total. The average age of victims is 13, with suspects averaging 15 years old.