Geldards Family team welcomes new measures to support domestic abuse victims

Domestic abuse victims will be better protected from perpetrators under new government plans in a move welcomed by Geldards Family team.

The cross-government pledge (announced by the Home Secretary on 20th September) aims to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade, to strengthen police support and make the streets safer.

Domestic abuse specialists will be embedded in 999 control rooms to ensure calls for help are treated with the urgency needed and victims are referred to specialist support services as quickly as possible.

These specialists will be backed up by dedicated teams to improve how the police respond to these kinds of calls, including using new technology to respond more quickly such as rapid video response.

Almost 100 domestic abuse related offences were recorded by the police every hour on average last year. It is estimated that the police answer a call every 30 seconds from victims of domestic abuse.

The new initiative will form part of ‘Raneem’s Law’, in memory of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in 2018.  Despite 13 reports made to the police about concerns for Raneem’s safety, no arrests were made and on the night she was killed she rang 999 four times.

The pilot will be funded by the government in targeted police forces from early 2025.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from domestic abuse please contact our Family team at a safe time to see what help we can offer.

Contact our Domestic Abuse lead Claire Dean who will be happy to talk through your situation.