What do the experiences of victims and survivors of police-perpetrated domestic abuse tell us about the police response to such abuse?

Abstract

In March 2020, the Centre for Women's Justice (CWJ) submitted a police super-complaint on police-perpetrated domestic abuse (PPDA), bringing the issue of police perpetrators to the fore one year before the murder of Sarah Everard. Since then, CWJ has been approached by more than 200 victim–survivors and has taken detailed accounts of many of their experiences. In September 2024, CWJ published a report, based on these accounts, addressing whether anything has really changed in the policing of PPDA. This article discusses the key findings from this research and CWJ's recommendations for change. The key findings discussed relate to: (a) minimisation of offending and poor understanding of controlling or coercive behaviour; (b) counter-allegations and criminalisation of victim–survivors; (c) repeat allegations; (d) missed safeguarding opportunities; (e) problems with PPDA in family proceedings; (f) loss of victim–survivor confidence and lack of investigative independence; and (g) poor support for victim–survivors who are themselves police officers or employees. CWJ is a legal charity and campaigning organisation. Its research is based on telephone interviews and questionnaires with women who have contacted the organisation unsolicited. Although care has been taken to ensure the accuracy and quality of the data collected, CWJ is an organisation of lawyers, paralegals and volunteers. The research has been conducted from that perspective and may differ in its aims and methodology from academic research.