Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary
Police Response to Domestic Violence Survey
wants response from LGBT People
by Sunday 26 January
I want to make you aware of an opportunity for LGBT people to contribute to an important independent review of the police response to domestic abuse, currently being conducted by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.
Stonewall research has found that one in four lesbians and bisexual women and half of gay and bisexual men have experienced domestic abuse but four in five victims have never reported these incidents to the police. Of those who did report, more than half were not happy with how the police dealt with the situation.
Stonewall works with police forces across the country to help them improve the way they support lesbian, gay and bisexual victims of crime, including victims of domestic abuse. Last year we published a practical guide for the police, featuring practical tips and recommendations as well as case studies from forces that are supporting LGB people in their local community. The guide includes a substantive chapter on tackling domestic abuse.
If you’re interested in taking action to improve the police response to LGB victims of domestic abuse in your area, you’ll be interested to know that in September 2013 the Home Secretary commissioned Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a review of the police response to domestic abuse. As part of this review, the Inspectorate has launched an online survey to gather information from those who have experienced domestic abuse in the last 12 months and to find out what they think of the way the police responded. This is a valuable opportunity for the experiences of LGB victims of domestic abuse to be considered as part of the inspection.
The survey is open until 26th January 2014 and can be accessed online at http://www.hmic.gov.uk/news/news-feed/domestic-abuse-survey/.
Kind regards
Louise Kelly
Information Officer
Stonewall’s info line on 08000 50 20 20 can offer information and referrals to callers on a wide range of topics, including education, parenting and employment. The info line is open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm, but you can also find our info service online at www.stonewall.org.uk/info or email us on info@stonewall.org.uk.