‘Real Helen Archers being failed by police’

DOMESTIC abuse victims are increasingly turning to the civil courts for protection because the police are failing to enforce the law of coercive control, it has been claimed.

Three years ago it became an offence for a person to psychologically abuse their partner by restricting their freedom.

The issue gained national prominence in The Archers on Radio 4, when character Helen Titchener, née Archer, was subjected to mental torture by controlling husband Rob.

The drama was credited with encouraging victims to report abuse. But despite more than 4,200 complaints being made to police last year across England and Wales, fewer than 10per cent resulted in prosecutions. Many victims are instead applying to the civil courts for injunctions, which can cost up to £10,000.

According to Ministry of Justice data, the number of non-molestation orders granted last year was 25,707, up almost 10per cent on 2016 and the highest level for a decade.

Peter Dodd, a partner at the law firm Nockolds, which obtained the figures, said: “Three years [on] … and a large proportion of police forces appear to be poorly trained.

“I have dealt with a number of domestic abuse cases where we obtained non-molestation orders because we knew that the police would be unable or unwilling to bring criminal charges.”

“The concern is that victims who lack the resources … may be left in the hands of abusers.”