New report suggests trust still broken in policing violence against women

Press release issued: 9 December 2024

A report has revealed trust remains a key issue in the policing of violence against women and girls in Black and minoritised communities – and this type of crime is much less likely to result in offenders being charged compared to other offences.

The report, led by the University of Bristol, is based on feedback from police officers, filmed operational responses to VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls) call-outs, and incident case files. It is being published as the United Nations (UN) Women 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign draws to a close.

The findings follow two recent major policing reports, namely the Metropolitan Police Casey Review and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) final inspection report on Police response to violence against women and girls, which highlighted institutional racism and systematic failures in safeguarding women and girls from violence. The reports called for a radical overhaul of police responses to these crimes.

Read the full University of Bristol news story

Paper: ‘A matter of trust: Improving police responses to violence against women and girls in racially minoritised communities’ by A.K Gill and S. Anitha