In this month’s column, Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, John Tizard, writes about how he is driving system change and long-term prevention to stop violence against women and children, especially girls.
Too many women and children, especially girls, are the innocent victims of misogynistic crime. One victim is one victim too many.
This is the case in Bedfordshire and across the country. If we are to reverse the increase in these crimes, we must take action to prevent them, and we must support victims and arrest perpetrators.
This is a core mission for me. I am committed to halving violence against women and girls within ten years, in line with the government’s mission.
Victims must not ever feel that they are to blame, and their rights must be at the forefront of every response. Why, for example, should a female victim of domestic abuse be required to move house and not the criminal perpetuator?
This seems wrong and in the long-term damaging to women and children already severely traumatised.
9,000 domestic abuse crimes
We know from statistical evidence that nationally over ninety per cent of murders are committed by men, with over sixty per cent of women killed being killed by their partner or ex-partner, with most of these murders occurring in the home (1).
In Bedfordshire, we saw nearly 9,000 domestic abuse crimes reported to the Police last year, where the perpetrator is significantly more likely to be male (2).
These numbers are not just data points—they represent lives disrupted, confidence shattered, and futures altered. This is simply wrong.
In England and Wales, twenty per cent of women have experienced some form of sexual assault since the age of sixteen. Far too many also experience sexual assault before they reach that age. This is wrong.
In the year ending March 2020, it was estimated that one point six million women experienced domestic abuse(1). Women are far more likely to be victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence than men.
The abuse can be physical, emotional, or both. Reporting of coercive control is increasing. Any form of domestic abuse or violence is wrong.
Stalking is prevalent across the country, and Bedfordshire is no exception.
Female genital mutilation is occurring to girls in Bedfordshire, with certain communities at greater risk than others.
This is a heinous crime which must be tackled wherever it occurs, and if it occurs in another country to a girl from this country, those responsible must be held to account within the British criminal justice system.
Sexual exploitation in all its forms must be tackled with the full vigour of the police and legal system. This may often involve modern-day slavery and trafficking. It is wrong.
Social influencers
As police and crime commissioner (PCC), I have a mission to protect women and children, especially girls, from misogynistic and sexual crimes. Bedfordshire Police has a clear policy to stamp out male violence against women and girls (MVAWG).
The police have specialist teams of experienced police officers and victims’ support staff, who focus on this critical area of policing.
As PCC, I grant funding to many specialist women’s groups and other voluntary and community organisations to provide support, advice and advocacy to victims.
I also promote the prevention of these crimes, and plan to do more, including seeking to persuade primary and secondary schools across Bedfordshire to address misogyny in their curriculum.
I am working with local authorities, the NHS and the police as well as specialist agencies, women’s groups and voluntary organisations to raise awareness of these foul crimes, to offer advice and support to victims and potential victims, and to address the symptoms, and importantly the causes of these crimes.
We must also challenge and address online and social media encouragement of misogyny and crime. We must act against so-called “social influencers” who promote hatred and misogyny.
Women and girls should be encouraged to report misogynistic crimes and feel safe and respected when they do so.
Victims need support
I am pleased that Bedfordshire is one of the five police services in England and Wales to be piloting Raneem’s Law proposal to employ specialist independent domestic abuse advisors in our control room.
The advisor supports the control room team to better understand calls and to deal with them more effectively.
I am also talking with the Crown Prosecution Service, the judiciary and the courts service to find ways in which victims of these crimes can secure justice quickly and effectively without long, agonising, unavoidable waits for charging and then for trials.
Currently, the wait can be much too long. This is wrong. Victims need support and counselling throughout the process. They must not be failed by the criminal justice system. More needs to be done, and this will require cultural change.
More resources, and this is and must be a key objective for the police service and across the system. It will require cultural and behavioural change across society. This change must be relentless and system-wide.
Every woman and every child deserves action now. We must not fail.
This is a monthly guest column provided by
elected Police and Crime Commissioner, John Tizard (Labour).
It is published unedited and does
not reflect the views of the Bedford Independent.
