Domestic and Sexual
Violence Board publishes final report: Five years of scrutinising
the MPS response to domestic and sexual violence
Metropolitan
Police Authority
12/07/11
32/11
The Metropolitan Police Authority has published the final report
of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Board providing a five year
retrospective of monitoring, scrutinising and supporting the
Metropolitan Police Service's (MPS) performance and
response to domestic and sexual violence.
Over the past five years he MPA Domestic and Sexual Violence
Board (DSVB) has assessed the police response to domestic and
sexual violence in each of London's 32 boroughs,
identified best practice and made recommendations for improvement.
The DSVB has influenced and supported change locally and
regionally, from sharing good practice identified across the whole
capital to challenging the whole MPS to access feedback from
victims of domestic and sexual violence. Moving forward, the
challenge will be to maintain a focus on these important themes
and ensure learning continues.
Co-chair of the DSVB, Valerie Brasse, said:
"I feel
privileged to have been able to lead the Domestic and Sexual
Violence Board, with my co-chair Kirsten Hearn, and to have helped
drive through real improvements in the police response to domestic
and sexual violence crimes against women in London. The board has
proved an excellent example of genuine partnership work that is
both supportive of, but also willing to challenge and cajole where
necessary, colleagues in the MPS to deliver service improvement
where it matters most – on the front line.
"An invaluable part of this process has been the willing
participation, in an open and public forum, of members of the
local community prepared to question the service they receive and
to help shape improvements. I am grateful to fellow members of the
board who have brought the benefit of their enormous experience in
this field to bear on our proceedings. And I am grateful too for
the continued co-operation and willingness to listen and learn of
London's police, both within the local command structure
and central operational command units. It is my sincerest hope
that with the transfer of policing accountability to the
Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, the listening and
learning will be sustained at the highest level so that violence
against women and girls is properly addressed and resourced as the
priority it has so clearly become."
The DSVB has examined the response of every one of
London's 32 boroughs response to domestic and sexual
violence, after which a bespoke action plan was devised. Numerous
successes have been accomplished, including:
- in Lewisham a South London seminar raised awareness of the role
of MPS Sapphire teams and other agencies in combating elder abuse,
attended by representatives from Safeguarding Adults, sexual
violence support services and the police . This was so successful
other elder abuse seminars will now be conducted across other
regions of London.
- in Kingston, best working practices to combat hate crime
identified by the DSVB between the Community Safety Units and
local Safer Neighbourhoods teams were shared across the entire
capital via Territorial Policing; and
- the DSVB has made corporate recommendations to the MPS which
most recently have resulted in a pilot project in Wandsworth and
Newham getting feedback from victims of domestic violence about
the police service.
Notes to Editors
1. The MPA Domestic Violence Board launched in 2006, and expanded
in 2009 to include sexual violence.
2. The MPA Domestic and
Sexual Violence Board agenda and final report are available on the
MPA website at: www.mpa.gov.uk/dsvb/2011/0713/
3. All reports received by the DSVB are available online at
www.mpa.gov.uk/dsvb
Jacqui Jones: 020 7202 0217
Michael Upton: 020 7202 0218
Out of hours duty phone: 07769 742 795
Email: firstname.secondname@mpa.gov.uk
Website: www.mpa.gov.uk
Met Forward: fighting crime and reducing criminality; increasing
confidence in policing; and giving us better value for money
Contacts:
Michael Upton.
Phone: 020 7202 0218
michael.upton@mpa.gov.uk