Crackdown on Domestic Abuse

The High Harm Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Unit will seek out the most active and dangerous serial perpetrators.

It aims to identify and address why they offend, to change their behaviour and reduce re-offending. A new independent domestic violence adviser will support families and liaise with Children’s Social Care when required.

A wider programme by the charity Cranstoun is also being launched this month for domestic abusers who recognise their own destructive behaviour and want to change.

It will focus on 100 abusers and work on challenging language, identifying harmful behaviours and supporting them to make positive changes.

According to Katy Bourne, last year there were 21,000 reports of domestic abuse, but only a four per cent conviction rate. And a great number of domestic violence incidents are not reported to police.

Mrs Bourne said: "I’m delighted I was able to secure the funds needed. We can begin to both address perpetrators behaviour and improve the outcomes for victims and children across Sussex”.

“Before this unit, there was no specialist partner intervention for those who continually abuse. As a result, we saw far too many perpetrators in Sussex slipping through the criminal justice net and going on to reoffend and hurt more people.”

The new partnership is determined to challenge and change domestic abusers in a way that lasts.

The unit consists of police officers with a background in detecting and supervising offenders in the community, a mental health worker from Brighton Housing Trust, a drugs and alcohol worker from the national health and social care charity Change Grow Live, an independent domestic violence adviser from Worth Services and specialist intervention probation-trained officers from Seetec Justice.

Elle Weaver, development manager for Together in Sussex, a charity which works with Chichester Diocese, says everyone can play a part in preventing and stopping domestic abuse.

She said: “There is something we can all do in helping to bring to light and tackle domestic abuse. To start with you could watch a you Tube video here and take a moment to familiarise yourself with the international sign for ‘Help Me’ #SignalforHelp #DomesticAbuse”

Contact me to find out how I can support you to support victims of domestic abuse at elle.weaver@togetherinsussex.org.uk.