Chief of Hartlepool's police force tells of 'hidden pandemic' of domestic abuse, with over 1,600 reports in Cleveland Police area in one month
and live on Freeview channel 276
Richard Lewis, the force’s most senior officer, says it is a vastly under-reported crime and ‘a disease of pandemic proportion’.
Cleveland Police dealt with 1,682 cases of domestic abuse in December 2020, which represented a 12% increase in reports.
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Hide AdChief Constable Lewis said: “We know nationally that despite the number of incidents we record and attend, that it is a vastly under-reported crime.
“One of our great local organisations, Foundation, describe an increase in referrals to the Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) of 21% between October and the end of December 2020 and across the country domestic homicide rates increased enormously during the first lockdown.
"It is as [fomer police chief superintendent] John Sutherland described on Newsnight ‘a disease of pandemic proportion’ and ‘the single greatest cause of harm in society’. I agree with him.”
Chief Constable Lewis added the force is very aware that the pandemic lockdowns have been particularly challenging for those living with an abuser.
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Hide AdIt made a short film starring local people to encourage anyone suffering abuse, or is worried about a friend or family member to speak to police. It can be viewed on Cleveland Police's social media channels.
Chief Constable Lewis says the force has made many improvements in its response to domestic abuse since he joined including from having one of the lowest arrest rates in the country to one of the highest.
A dedicated Vulnerability Desk in the Force Control Room has also been brought in to deal with domestic incidents, and the technology provided to officers such as Body Worn Video has vastly improved, he said.
The Chief Constable recently met with a group of domestic abuse survivors to hear their first-hand stories and impact it had on them and their families.
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Hide Ad"I was in awe of their bravery,” he said. “If we are committed nationally to further improvement in our response, speaking directly to survivor groups is one important step amongst many.
"I am delighted that some of the survivors are prepared to spend time with our senior leaders at Cleveland Police to explain how our response could be better.
"We are committed to that improvement.”