Violence against women - quarterly briefing autumn 2009

33/09
20 November 2009
MPA briefing paper 33/2009

Author: Lynne Abrams, Oversight and Review Team, MPA

This briefing paper has been prepared to inform members and staff. It is not a committee report and no decisions are required.

Summary

This is the third quarterly briefing on developments in the field of violence against women (VAW) [1]. The briefing is intended to update Members on any issues arising from the MPA or MPS work in the field, as well as external developments that may be of interest. The briefing also provides Link Members an overview of high-and poor-performing boroughs in relation to rape and domestic violence targets.

VAW at Committees

With the hiatus in formal committee business during August, developments on the report to committee front have been quiet. The MPS presented a report to SOP on 15 October providing an update on the creation of the Specialist Crime Directorate (SCD) 2, investigating serious sexual offences (SSOs). The report noted that the transfer of responsibility for SSOs to SCD2 had taken place on the 23 September and had been a smooth and successful transition overall. Some issues pertaining to staffing levels and permanent accommodation for the new Sapphire teams were still to be resolved. One area which will not be fully functional within the new SCD2 is the intelligence unit, which will be fully operational from April 2010. A number of MPS units will share the intelligence function in the meantime.

On 5 November SOP committee will receive a report on multiple-perpetrator rape [2]. This was commissioned in the context of a number of projects exploring the role of young women involved in serious youth violence and the links with sexual exploitation and sexual violence. See developments in the field for more details on work conducted by other organisations.

MPA update

The Domestic and Sexual Violence Board heard reports from Merton and Wandsworth at the 6 October meeting. During the closed session Members heard a presentation from DCS Caroline Bates on the launch of the serious sexual offences investigation command, SCD2. Members thanked Cindy Butts for her leadership as DSVB Chair, and Cindy received a letter of thanks from Vice Chair of the MPA, Kit Malthouse. Members welcomed Valerie and Kirsten as co-Chairs of the DSVB and this decision awaits formal ratification at Full Authority.

In the open sessions, Merton and Wandsworth BOCUs presented their responses to domestic and sexual violence. Wandsworth BOCU had exceeded its target for domestic violence sanction detections, and had shown interesting work around community confidence after the high profile Kirk Reid case. Among the topics they were asked to reflect and feedback on were partnership working in relation to homicide reviews and the volume of no-crimed and CRI'd serious sexual offences. Merton BOCU had improved both its domestic violence and serious sexual offences sanction detection rates and had recently initiated a number of creative projects, some of which they were asked to feedback to the DSVB on. These included a Merton Against Trafficking project and an email contact for the CSU. The next DSVB meeting will be held on Friday 4th December and the boroughs presenting will be Lambeth and Southwark.

The MPA continues to be involved in the network of agencies brought together by the EHRC to tackle trafficking linked into the 2012 Olympics Games. The MPA hosted an initial meeting of the Executive Committee on 22 September and Terms of Reference and the aims of the network were discussed at a meeting hosted by the EHRC on 16 October. A meeting of the full network should take place in November.

MPS update and Borough Performance [3]

Members will be aware that the MPS Human Trafficking Team (also known as Operation Maxim) could be under threat following a review of the way the MPS deals with immigration crime, including trafficking. The MPS maintains that the future of trafficking would be secure if the HTT were subsumed into CO14, the Clubs and Vice Unit, which already deals with trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation. In a letter shared with the media, a number of anti-trafficking organisations stated;

‘We are fully in support of CO14…but we are concerned that by disbanding the only unit with a remit for all forms of trafficking, the Met is in danger of prioritising one form of trafficking….Policing trafficking for forced labour, domestic servitude and all other forms of exploitation requires specialist knowledge and understanding’  [4].

The final decision has not yet been made.

The monthly public protection report for August [5] shows a total of 624 rapes and 1663 serious sexual offences reported across London. Boroughs with high performing Sapphire Units [6] were; Bexley, with a rape Sanction Detection (SD) rate of 112.5% [7] and 83% SSO SD rate from 8 reported rapes and 18 SSO’s, followed by Redbridge at 87% rape SD rate and 45% SSO SD rate (8 rapes and 37 SSO’s reported). Both Tower Hamlets and Camden have a 40% rape SD rate and 21% SSO SD rate, with 10 rapes and 34 SSO’s and 10 rapes and 38 SSO’s reported respectively.

The SD rape target for the MPS is 37%. Falling well below that with 0% are Sutton (5 rapes reported), Kingston (10 rapes reported), and Richmond (4 rapes reported). In terms of volume, the boroughs with high volumes of reported rapes and SSO’s continue to be in South London. These are Southwark (46 rapes, 96 SSO’s and a 13% rape SD rate, 18% SSO SD rate), followed by Lambeth (42 rapes and 90 SSO’s reported, and a 19% rape SD rate, 15% SSO SD rate). Reporting volume was lowest in Richmond, then Sutton.

In terms of performance on domestic violence, most boroughs exceed the target for arrests, but only 8 exceed the Sanction Detection target of 46%. The highest performing borough is Kensington and Chelsea, with a 78% SD rate from 149 incidents, followed by Richmond with 60% from 126 offences. At the other end of the scale, Enfield has a 22% SD rate from 93 offences and Brent has a 27% SD rate from 207 offences. Brent was also the only borough to experience a domestic violence homicide.

Developments in the field

The LGBT Domestic Abuse Partnership was launched on 21 October, providing advice and support for LGBT [8] victims/ survivors of domestic abuse. This project came from a growing recognition that whilst in London there was domestic violence-specific support, and LGBT-specific support, few organisations brought the two together. The LGBT DAP brings together such organisations as Stonewall Housing, Broken Rainbow and the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard.

A ‘Female Voice in Violence’ conference will be held on 28 October, exploring the role of women and girls in serious youth and gang violence. This project grew from Race on the Agenda’s Building Bridges project which found that girls involved in youth and gang violence were often overlooked and that they were subject to specific risks and therefore had specific needs.

On 22 September a review of rape complaints was announced, led by Baroness Stern. The review will look at how public authorities (including the police, local authorities, health providers, the Crown Prosecution Service, etc) not only respond individually to rape complaints, but how they interact with each other, as well as professionals’ attitudes to rape and evidence from the victims. Recommendations will be made on how to encourage more victims to report rape; improve the progression of reported offences through the criminal justice process, including conviction rates, and build satisfaction and confidence in how rape complaints are handled. The Stern report is due to be completed by spring 2010.

On 29 September, Domestic Violence Protection Orders, also known as 'Go' orders, were introduced. Currently, victims only receive immediate protection if the police arrest and charge a perpetrator and appropriate bail conditions are set or a civil injunction is sought by the victim. If this does not happen, the only option for victims may be to escape to temporary accommodation. In the future, following an arrest, where the police are not able to bring a criminal charge but are concerned about the on-going immediate risks to that victim police would be able to initiate a 'Go' order. These remove perpetrators of domestic violence from their homes for up to a fortnight, giving their victim breathing space to consider their options.

On 30 September 2009, sections 12 and 13 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 were enacted. Section 12 extends the courts' powers in England and Wales, so that when sentencing for any offence the court will be able to make a restraining order for the purpose of protecting a person from conduct which amounts to harassment or will cause a fear of violence. The courts will be able to place such an order even on acquittal of an offence. Section 13 of the 2004 Act extends for Northern Ireland the circumstances in which a restraining order can be made under the Protection from Harassment (Northern Ireland) Order 1997.

Linked into the National Violence Against Women Strategy, the Department of Health has announced a new Government Taskforce, which aims to identify the role and response of the NHS in relation to violence against women and girls and to make recommendations on what more could be done to meet their needs. Recommendations will cover the NHS response on primary, secondary and tertiary prevention i.e. prevention of sexual violence, treatment of victims and their protection. The Department for Children's Schools and Families has also set up a taskforce to explore the role of education in preventing violence against women and girls.

Prostitution and Trafficking Statistics

• Up to 70% of women in prostitution spent time in care, 45% report sexual abuse and 85% physical abuse within their families (Home Office, 2006).
• 75% of women involved in prostitution began when they were under 18 (Women's Resource Centre briefing, 2004).
• Women in prostitution in London suffer from a mortality rate that is 12 times the national average (Home Office, 2004)
• Up to 1,420 women per year are trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation (Kelly and Regan, 2000)
• More than half of UK women in prostitution have been raped and/or seriously sexually assaulted. (Home Office, 2004)
• Up to 95% of prostituted women are problematic drug users, including around 78% heroin users and rising numbers of crack cocaine addicts. (Home Office, 2004b)
• Four out of five women working in London brothels are believed to be foreign nationals (POPPY Project, 2004)

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