PFEW backs law change to give greater rights to police officer victims of domestic abuse

18 September 2024

Legislative change recommended by Centre for Women’s Justice would enable police officers and staff to make a complaint of domestic abuse against a member of their force as do members of the public.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) supports a proposed amendment to the Police Reform Act 2002 giving greater rights to police officers and staff who are victims of domestic abuse incidents.

Today [18 September] the Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) has launched a report, tracking changes to the way allegations of domestic abuse by police officers are addressed by the police service nearly five years on since the publication of its police super-complaint in March 2020.

It summarises how systemic failures continue, and victim/survivor confidence remains disturbingly low, before outlining a series of recommendations, including legislative change which would afford police officers and staff the same rights as members of the public.

It stated: “Section 29(4)(a) of the Police Reform Act 2002 should be amended to ensure police officers and members of police staff have the same right to make a complaint of domestic abuse against a member of their force as do members of the public.”

Barriers to reporting such as anonymity and conflicts of interest were also raised, with a view there needs to be a bespoke Independent Domestic Violence Advocate service for police victim/survivors, that is entirely independent of the victim/ survivor’s force. PFEW fully supports the notion.

Almost half (45 per cent) of the women who came forward are themselves police officers or staff and frequently report victimisation if they dare to report a fellow officer.

Responding to the report, Ian Saunders, PFEW equality lead, said: “Police officers who commit this behaviour have no place in policing and we condemn them.

“It is deeply distressing to see almost half of the women who came forward to share their harrowing ordeal are themselves police officers or staff and it is disgraceful to hear of how they often suffer significant detriment to their careers when they seek to report their abuse.

“For too long, police officers who are subject to domestic abuse have been failed and radical measures must be put into place if the service is to prevent these failings and regain trust. As the report rightly highlights, victim/survivor trust and confidence is paramount in order to tackle the numerous shortfalls.

“PFEW believes greater independence in investigations is crucial, incorporating strict confidentially and avoiding conflicts of interest, therefore we fully support the view there needs to be a bespoke Independent Domestic Violence Advocate service for police victim/survivors, that is wholly independent of the victim/survivor’s force.

“In addition to this, PFEW backs the proposed legislative change, amending s.29(4) of the Police Reform Act 2002 to ensure police officers and members of police staff have the same right to make a formal police complaint as do members of the public.

“As a Federation, we endeavour to support any victims who come forward with any type of allegation. If this is against a partner or another officer, we now have ethical walls built into our reporting processes and are continually training our Federation representatives on new toolkits so they can support our members in the unfortunate event they may need this assistance.

“This entails developing understanding of an ‘ethical wall’ designed to maintain confidentiality between those representing an individual accused of wrongdoing and those representing the individual who has made the accusation or has been the victim of the alleged wrongdoing. This is to ensure all members have confidence in their local branch and its ability to represent everyone fairly and effectively.

"PFEW is fully committed to continuously improving its processes to support members and will play its part driving change to help the 43 forces to standardise vetting and take action on the recommendations the report has identified based on its conclusions.

“We encourage our members to report any behaviour that is cause for concern and to link in with their local Federation branch for support and advice.”

Sue Honeywill, PFEW women’s lead, said: “We are grateful for the honest and candid feedback provided to the CWJ.

“PFEW strives to improve its support services for members, not just through the ethical wall, but a completely different way of approaching these types of cases, more training for reps, better understanding of what legal support is available and, where necessary, supporting our members through legal action against the force.

“We are listening, and we are doing everything in our power to work with forces, to make the changes needed to ensure perpetrators are held to account. Our support to our members and commitment to this is unwavering.

“We fully support the recommendations put forward by CWJ and we remain committed to listening and working with them to help see these brought into tangible outcomes.”