1 in 6 of all crimes involves violence against women
VIOLENCE towards women and girls accounts for one in six crimes investigated by police, latest figures reveal.
Analysis by the National Police Chiefs’ Council found 117 of these crimes are recorded every hour – around two per minute.
At least 507,827 offences – known as VAWG – were recorded in the six months between October 2021 and March 2022. And one in four women have been identified as “repeat victims”, with one force revealing that just under half of women have been targeted at least twice.
The NPCC’s analysis reveals violence against women and girls makes up 15.8 per cent of all investigations.
Chiefs fear the cost-of-living crisis is an “emerging threat”, as some women could become trapped with abusive men, unable to move elsewhere.
Officers also say cases of coercive control are “rising rapidly” and one in three sex offences is linked to domestic abuse. A similar proportion, 32 per cent, of stalking and harassment cases are linked to domestic abuse.
And the threat of online stalking and harassment is likely to intensify further over the coming years, says
the NPCC, while there will be more online chatrooms where men are promoting misogynistic views.
The Daily Express has been crusading to keep women safe.
The figures were recorded in a 230page document – The Violence Against Women And Girls Strategic Threat Risk Assessment (STRA) – which has
been sent to every chief constable. Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, national policing coordinator for violence against women and girls, said: “The epidemic of VAWG that we are facing meant that it was imperative we took the time to analyse the greatest threats to women and girls.
“The STRA clearly tells us that domestic abuse is an area of significant and increasing threat to women, so it is vital we act on that insight and ensure we are approaching the threat in a coordinated way.”
Police chiefs warned stalking and harassment makes up 43 per cent of all investigations.And intelligence suggests “a small proportion of offenders are commonly responsible for a disproportionate amount” of crimes.
But many cases are collapsing within the six-month time limit for court action, with victims withdrawing their support or detectives failing to find enough evidence.
In a stark assessment, police chiefs concluded: “Trends in recorded crimes over the past 12 months and forecasts for the next 12 months indicate it is likely that reporting by the public in all VAWG threats (except for spiking and incels) will continue to increase and the threat of tech-enabled VAWG is almost certain to increase.”
Ms Blyth says the NPCC and the College of Policing are trying to boost standards among officers.
She added: “In partnership with the Crown Prosecution Service, we are publishing our justice plan to improve the response to domestic abuse.”