Cleveland Police 'transformation' in response to sexual and domestic violence

A report from Government watchdog Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) published on Tuesday said it had serious concerns children in particular were not being adequately protected.

"The report shows that between March 2014 and March 2015 Cleveland Police experienced higher demand than forces in England and Wales in terms of calls for assistance and that domestic abuse calls for assistance are significantly higher than for those other forces".

"We found many examples of committed and talented police officers and staff going the extra mile to meet the needs of vulnerable victims consistently, sometimes in the most hard of circumstances".

Their inspection found that to help achieve the force's commitment to improve the services provided to vulnerable people a significant investment has been made in training staff. This ensures that they have a good level of knowledge and understanding.

The Federation has accepted the findings of the HMIC in its report, Increasingly everyone's business: A progress report on the police response to domestic abuse, released today, and urged the Home Office and College of Policing to continue working with the Federation to implement the necessary recommendations. "We are making substantial progress in this area, while acknowledging that even more can be done".

Men and women can both be perpetrators and victims of domestic abuse, and victims are encouraged to call the police.

"Each one is unique and demands a professional, objective and caring approach by the officers dealing with them and the report notes our response in this area is good and our policy is clear and well-understood by staff across the force", says Mrs Roach.

Chief Constable Steve Ashman said: "Protecting vulnerable people who are less able to protect themselves is the primary role of Northumbria Police".

"The HMIC has said Devon and Cornwall Police is providing a good service in terms of identifying vulnerable people and responding to their needs across the board".

"They have invested in training and held victim focus groups so they can listen to what the woman have to say, and there is more information sharing to keep people safe". All of these vulnerable victims deserve, and must receive, our support and protection.

The police and crime commissioner for Gwent praised the "impressive" efforts of Gwent Police after the report highlighted the way the force has improved.

"We have recently introduced the Victims Bureau and we continue to train our frontline staff in public protection issues and are continually reviewing our processes".

Around one in two domestic abuse crimes that were recorded in the county led to an arrest.

She said: "We know that the scale of change needed on domestic abuse will take time to bring about in full, and that there is still much more to be done".

"Issues of vulnerability transcend many different aspects of policing and complex crimes, from the elderly to the young and from those targeted by cyber-crime to those groomed by sexual offenders".

Specialist teams have been appointed to deal with domestic abuse and child sexual exploitation.