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This page contains press release 24/06, in which the MPA states that the proposals to change sentencing for domestic violence must not be accepted.
Warning: This is archived material and may be out of date. The Metropolitan Police Authority has been replaced by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC).
See the MOPC website for further information.
MPA statement - proposals to change sentencing for domestic violence must not be accepted
24/06
12 April 2006
Cindy Butts, deputy chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority and chair of the Authority’s new Domestic Violence Board, said today:
“The proposals by the Sentencing Guidelines Council that those responsible for domestic violence could potentially escape custodial sentences for their brutality is a retrograde step and the Metropolitan Police Authority’s new Domestic Violence Board questions the logic and justice behind the suggestion.
“We just have to look at the facts to see that domestic violence is a vicious and a repetitive crime. On average a woman is assaulted more than 30 times before seeking help and even more worrying is the fact that domestic homicide accounts for over 25% of murders in London.
“Rehabilitation classes or community orders should not be viewed as an alternative to custodial sentences - complementary perhaps, but the fact is that the individual responsible for the violence is committing a criminal act, leaving victims traumatised and vulnerable in their own homes, and we need to send out a strong message that it is simply unacceptable.
“The Authority and our partners in the Domestic Violence Board, from voluntary groups to statutory organisations know the brutal reality of domestic violence. The MPA believes that this suggestion should not be taken further.”
Notes to editors
1. The MPA Domestic Violence Board aims to secure continuous improvements in the Met’s response to domestic violence by sharing best practice and innovation with all the agencies, both voluntary and statutory, working in London.
2. It will add value to the police response by forging closer working relationships between agencies and ensuring that the Met’s 32 individual borough operational command units across the capital learn from successful projects and develop their services.
3. The Board met for the first time on Wednesday April 5 2006.
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