Response to the Home Affairs Committee domestic abuse inquiry report
David Tucker, College of Policing lead for Crime and Criminal Justice, said:
“The vast majority of vulnerable people who come into contact with police are dealt with incredibly well by officers and staff.
“We share the ambition of the Home Affairs Select Committee and others to improve the systems that support victims of domestic abuse and stalking.
“Investigations where someone is vulnerable often take longer, are more complex and require different skills so police now have a consistent training programme for vulnerability, including specific content on domestic abuse and stalking. We have now made this course part of the compulsory recruit training that is being introduced nationally.
“The training was tested on more than 9,000 officers across seven police forces. We wanted the voices of victims to be central to this training and we interviewed victims, or in the tragic cases where the victim had been murdered, we interviewed their relatives. We have also developed specific domestic abuse training with the charity SafeLives which emphasises the impact of coercive and controlling behaviour.
“But we have to recognise that police training alone will not tackle this problem. It must form part of a system approach so victims report abusive behaviour, get the right support and perpetrators are brought to justice."
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Notes to editors
- How are police officers trained in domestic abuse?
There are two approaches to training supported by the College of Policing. The first is vulnerability training. This supports officers and staff to identify vulnerabilities in others and the situations which cause risk of harm.
Effective risk management steps are only possible if police are able to recognise the causes of those risks. This training is incorporated into the new recruit training programme as well as being available for forces to upskill serving officers and staff. - The specific domestic abuse training, DA Matters, is available for forces to use to upskill their responders. It is focused on developing understanding of coercive and controlling behaviour.
- Forces decide what training is required for their officers and staff.