“There is no doubt that women, as victims, defendants and witnesses suffer very significant structural disadvantage within the criminal justice system. This is not primarily because of direct unequal treatment (although that does exist) but because of the failure to recognise the structural oppression that underlies the different experiences of women and men as they grow up in a world where violence against women persists”.
This quote is taken from the website of Centre for Women's Justice . Their recent report identifies eight themes of particular concern with regards to the prevalence of Police Perpetrated Domestic Abuse (PPDA), all of which appear to be underpinned by this failure to recognise the structural oppression that underlies the different experiences of women and men.
For example, the Report states “Our case studies show that there is still a problem with front-line officers failing to identify reports of PPDA as police complaints or conduct matters at all. This is especially the case where the abuse takes the form of controlling or coercive behaviour. Reported incidents are frequently being considered in isolation and are being dismissed as low-level “unpleasant” behaviour, rather than being considered as a wider, cumulative, pattern of behaviour. Further, forces are overlooking the potential significance of an officer’s abusive behaviour at home for his ability to deal appropriately with power dynamics and vulnerability in his professional life”.
Policing is an important job that comes with significant responsibility, and in turn, power. It is the responsibility of each police force to understand the wider societal context in which that power is used, (in a world where violence against women and girls (‘VAWG’) persists) and to vet and train their officers accordingly. VAWG is never just an ‘isolated incident’ or a ‘personal problem’.
Additionally, as the Report identifies, meaningful change cannot be achieved without acknowledgement of the depth of the problem; that sexism and misogyny are cultural and institutional within policing. Proper acknowledgement clearly requires implementing effective systems for data collection, to understand the true scale of the problem and whether steps that forces are taking are actually helping. However, the Report highlights that data collection remains a major cause for concern in the context of PPDA.
As Harriet Wistrich, Director of CWJ has said, “The public and the policing bodies have woken up to one of the biggest scandals in British policing history”. The applicable law, policy and practice must develop to reflect this.
Our new report – published today - reveals shocking levels of domestic abuse by police officers continues and police forces are struggling to tackle the abuse of power or recognise that abuse off duty must be addressed.
In the report we draw on the experiences of the 200+ women who have approached us since 2020 to share their accounts of domestic abuse at the hands of police officers and staff.
We've identified key themes that continue to resurface & the steps that need to be taken.
Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/eQSiPPkc
