Recommendations - Surrey Police, September 2020
We identified organisational learning from an investigation relating to an alleged failure to investigate breaches of bail conditions and provide adequate safeguarding steps for a victim of domestic abuse.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that when a victim or perpetrator moves out of a force area that ownership of the investigation and any subsequent actions required are clarified and agreed.
A woman made reports to the police that her husband was subjecting her to domestic abuse. Her husband was arrested and bailed with conditions including that he should not contact her directly or indirectly.
The woman and her children were moved into emergency accommodation which was located in a neighbouring force area. The woman’s husband breached his bail conditions on a number of occasions by contacting her and threatening her. These breaches were not adequately investigated as there was confusion over which force should take responsibility for investigating the breaches and taking any subsequent action.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
Our Policy and Procedure for 2022 is being finalised the week of 31st January 2022. This was delayed pending the release of the NPCC VAWG Framework to capture and national recommendations. The new P&P covers all three recommendations below as accepted. All staff will be required to sign a form annually to state they have read this and understand it.
a) Recommendation 1 - when a victim or perpetrator moves out of a force area that ownership of the investigation and any subsequent actions required are clarified and agreed.
b) Recommendation 2 - that when a victim is moved out of the force area as a safeguarding measure, there is a formal notification to the host force and a safety plan put in place that covers ownership of any offences committed in the host force area and for communication and liaison between forces.
c) Recommendation 3 - that officers are reminded of the need to put comprehensive safety plans in place for victims and to ensure that these are reviewed at regular intervals or when circumstances change.
The IOPC recommends that when a victim is moved out of the force area as a safeguarding measure, there is a formal notification to the host force and a safety plan put in place that covers ownership of any offences committed in the host force area and for communication and liaison between forces.
A domestic abuse victim was moved into emergency accommodation in a neighbouring force area as a safeguarding measure. The perpetrator, her husband, was arrested and subsequently released on conditional bail. There was little, if any, liaison between the two forces meaning that the force where the woman lived wrongly believed that the perpetrator was not on bail. This meant that an opportunity to arrest the perpetrator was missed.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
Our Policy and Procedure for 2022 is being finalised the week of 31st January 2022. This was delayed pending the release of the NPCC VAWG Framework to capture and national recommendations. The new P&P covers all three recommendations below as accepted. All staff will be required to sign a form annually to state they have read this and understand it.
a) Recommendation 1 - when a victim or perpetrator moves out of a force area that ownership of the investigation and any subsequent actions required are clarified and agreed.
b) Recommendation 2 - that when a victim is moved out of the force area as a safeguarding measure, there is a formal notification to the host force and a safety plan put in place that covers ownership of any offences committed in the host force area and for communication and liaison between forces.
c) Recommendation 3 - that officers are reminded of the need to put comprehensive safety plans in place for victims and to ensure that these are reviewed at regular intervals or when circumstances change.
The IOPC recommends that officers are reminded of the need to put comprehensive safety plans in place for victims and to ensure that these are reviewed at regular intervals or when circumstances change.
A woman made reports to the police that her husband was subjecting her to domestic abuse. Her husband was arrested and bailed with conditions including that he should not contact her directly or indirectly.
The woman contacted the police on a number of occasions to allege her husband had breached his bail conditions by contacting her and threatening her.
Safeguarding measures should have been reassessed after each contact with the woman however there is no evidence that this was done in this case.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
Our Policy and Procedure for 2022 is being finalised the week of 31st January 2022. This was delayed pending the release of the NPCC VAWG Framework to capture and national recommendations. The new P&P covers all three recommendations below as accepted. All staff will be required to sign a form annually to state they have read this and understand it.
a) Recommendation 1 - when a victim or perpetrator moves out of a force area that ownership of the investigation and any subsequent actions required are clarified and agreed.
b) Recommendation 2 - that when a victim is moved out of the force area as a safeguarding measure, there is a formal notification to the host force and a safety plan put in place that covers ownership of any offences committed in the host force area and for communication and liaison between forces.
c) Recommendation 3 - that officers are reminded of the need to put comprehensive safety plans in place for victims and to ensure that these are reviewed at regular intervals or when circumstances change.