'No one is joining the dots and making sure domestic abuse victims are protected'

Women's minister Anneliese Dodds backs our campaign

- MAYA OPPENHEIM

Domestic abuse victims who make multiple reports to the police of violence and abuse carried out by their partners are being failed, the women's minister has admitted.

Speaking to The Independent, Anneliese Dodds warned that violence against women is "stubbornly high" but charge rates for such crimes are "extremely low". Ms Dodds, currently in Washington with chancellor Rachel Reeves, said the impact of such violence was also having a devastating impact on children caught up in the abuse.

"For some women, unfortunately, home can be an extremely dangerous place," she said. "We are determined to change that. That is why we said we will put domestic abuse specialists into every 999 control room so that we can have a joined-up approach.

"So you end that situation where women are reporting repeatedly that they have been subject to domestic violence, but no one is joining the dots and making sure that they are protected."

The move to place domestic abuse specialists in emergency control rooms in England and Wales is one of a raft of measures being rolled out to fulfil the government's manifesto pledge to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.