UK
Domestic abuse experts to be embedded in 999 control roomsAlmost 100 domestic abuse-related offences were recorded by the police every hour on average last year
Judith Burns
BBC News Home Affairs
Judith Burns
BBC News Home Affairs
West Midlands Police/PA
Raneem Oudeh (l) called 999 multiple times on the night she and her mother Khaola Saleem (r) were murdered by Raneem's ex-husband
Domestic abuse specialists will be embedded in 999 control rooms in England and Wales as part of the government's pledge to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
The measure is part of "Raneem's Law" in memory of Raneem Oudeh, 22, and her mother Khaola Saleem who were murdered by Ms Oudeh's estranged husband in 2018.
The government also announced a new domestic abuse protection order pilot that will order more abusers to stay away from victims and impose tougher sanctions if they fail to do so.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said victims "need to know the police will be there for them" and if they come forward, any report "will be treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves".
"Failure to understand the seriousness of domestic abuse costs lives and far too many have already been lost," Ms Cooper said.
The aim is for specialists with expertise in domestic abuse to be on hand in control rooms to ensure victims get a fast response from officers on the ground and are quickly referred to support services.
The scheme will be piloted in select police forces from early next year. Details on which forces are taking part in the pilot have not yet been announced.
Ms Cooper described the new measures as "vital" and "a personal priority for me".
She told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg in January about her plans for the measures, which Labour also proposed in February.
Almost 100 domestic abuse-related offences were recorded by police every hour on average last year, the government said.
On the night Ms Oudeh and her mother were killed, she rang 999 multiple times, but officers failed to reach the two women in time.
In total, 13 reports were made to the police about concerns for her safety - but no arrests were made until it was too late.
An inquest found police errors "materially contributed" to their deaths. West Midlands Police has since apologised to the family.
Nour Norris, Ms Oudeh's aunt and Mrs Saleem's sister, said having domestic abuse specialists in control rooms would "save lives by making sure no warning signs are ignored, unlike in Raneem's story".
"Their suffering and the way the system failed them is something I will never forget," Ms Norris said. "What started as a quest for justice for my family became a mission to improve outcomes for all domestic abuse victims everywhere."
Ms Oudeh's estranged husband, Janbaz Tarin, was jailed for a minimum of 32 years in December 2018, after admitting to the murders.
In another effort to protect women and girls, the government also announced a new domestic abuse protection order pilot that will start in November.
Police already have the power to legally order abusers not to contact or go within a certain distance of victims for up to 28 days.
The pilot will introduce no maximum time limit for orders, impose electronic tagging of offenders and require perpetrators to notify police of any change in name or address.
The new orders will cover all forms of domestic abuse, including violence, stalking and controlling behaviour.
Breaching an order will be a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in prison.
Victims and other third parties such as charities will also be able to apply directly for an order, rather than having to rely on police and criminal courts.
The new domestic abuse protection orders will be piloted by officers in Greater Manchester Police, the Metropolitan Police (South London Borough Command Unit) and British Transport Police.
Refuge, the charity which supports survivors of domestic violence, welcomed the changes but called for "far more detail on how these plans will be implemented and how staff will be safely recruited, vetted and most importantly trained".
Refuge's interim chief executive Abigail Ampofo warned that police rarely act on breaches of existing protection orders, making them often "worth little more than the paper they are written on".
"We need a real sea change in internal policing culture and the police forces' response to domestic abuse overall," said Ms Ampofo.
Raneem Oudeh (l) called 999 multiple times on the night she and her mother Khaola Saleem (r) were murdered by Raneem's ex-husband
Domestic abuse specialists will be embedded in 999 control rooms in England and Wales as part of the government's pledge to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
The measure is part of "Raneem's Law" in memory of Raneem Oudeh, 22, and her mother Khaola Saleem who were murdered by Ms Oudeh's estranged husband in 2018.
The government also announced a new domestic abuse protection order pilot that will order more abusers to stay away from victims and impose tougher sanctions if they fail to do so.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said victims "need to know the police will be there for them" and if they come forward, any report "will be treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves".
"Failure to understand the seriousness of domestic abuse costs lives and far too many have already been lost," Ms Cooper said.
The aim is for specialists with expertise in domestic abuse to be on hand in control rooms to ensure victims get a fast response from officers on the ground and are quickly referred to support services.
The scheme will be piloted in select police forces from early next year. Details on which forces are taking part in the pilot have not yet been announced.
Ms Cooper described the new measures as "vital" and "a personal priority for me".
She told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg in January about her plans for the measures, which Labour also proposed in February.
Almost 100 domestic abuse-related offences were recorded by police every hour on average last year, the government said.
On the night Ms Oudeh and her mother were killed, she rang 999 multiple times, but officers failed to reach the two women in time.
In total, 13 reports were made to the police about concerns for her safety - but no arrests were made until it was too late.
An inquest found police errors "materially contributed" to their deaths. West Midlands Police has since apologised to the family.
Nour Norris, Ms Oudeh's aunt and Mrs Saleem's sister, said having domestic abuse specialists in control rooms would "save lives by making sure no warning signs are ignored, unlike in Raneem's story".
"Their suffering and the way the system failed them is something I will never forget," Ms Norris said. "What started as a quest for justice for my family became a mission to improve outcomes for all domestic abuse victims everywhere."
Ms Oudeh's estranged husband, Janbaz Tarin, was jailed for a minimum of 32 years in December 2018, after admitting to the murders.
In another effort to protect women and girls, the government also announced a new domestic abuse protection order pilot that will start in November.
Police already have the power to legally order abusers not to contact or go within a certain distance of victims for up to 28 days.
The pilot will introduce no maximum time limit for orders, impose electronic tagging of offenders and require perpetrators to notify police of any change in name or address.
The new orders will cover all forms of domestic abuse, including violence, stalking and controlling behaviour.
Breaching an order will be a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in prison.
Victims and other third parties such as charities will also be able to apply directly for an order, rather than having to rely on police and criminal courts.
The new domestic abuse protection orders will be piloted by officers in Greater Manchester Police, the Metropolitan Police (South London Borough Command Unit) and British Transport Police.
Refuge, the charity which supports survivors of domestic violence, welcomed the changes but called for "far more detail on how these plans will be implemented and how staff will be safely recruited, vetted and most importantly trained".
Refuge's interim chief executive Abigail Ampofo warned that police rarely act on breaches of existing protection orders, making them often "worth little more than the paper they are written on".
"We need a real sea change in internal policing culture and the police forces' response to domestic abuse overall," said Ms Ampofo.
Domestic abuse victims must be heard on first 999 call, campaigner says
The aunt of Raneem Oudeh, who was killed by her ex-partner, says her niece was ‘not heard until she lost her life’.
Campaigner Nour Norris during a visit to Kent Police’s Coldharbour Police Complex in Aylesford, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Domestic violence victims need to be heard the first time they call 999, a campaigner whose niece was killed by her ex-partner after calling the police multiple times has said.
Nour Norris, whose niece Raneem Oudeh, 22, and sister Khaola Saleem, 49, were murdered by Ms Oudeh’s ex-partner in 2018, said that those calling the police for help “need to be given the opportunity to be saved”.
The Home Office has said some police forces will start embedding domestic abuse specialists in their 999 control rooms early next year as part of “Raneem’s Law” to transform the way the police handle cases of violence against women and girls.
The Government will fund the pilot in targeted police forces from early 2025, but did not say how many forces would be involved in the initial rollout.
An inquest found mistakes made by West Midlands Police had “materially contributed” to Ms Oudeh and Ms Saleem’s deaths.
On the night they were killed, Ms Oudeh had called West Midlands Police four times to register concerns for her safety, and the force had previously responded to 10 domestic abuse incidents linked to the case.
Five officers were disciplined over the failures.
Nour Norris, the sister and aunt of Khaola Saleem and Raneem Oudeh, who were killed by Ms Oudeh’s ex-partner (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Ms Norris said her sister and niece “tried their best to be here today” but “the system failed”.
She said: “No-one should really have to suffer what Raneem suffered.
“Trying to explain herself, trying to put an administration order in place for herself … trying to do whatever it takes to be heard, and she was still not heard until she lost her life.
“My sister lost her life because she was doing the job of the police – doing the sacrificing for mother and daughter.”
My sister lost her life because she was doing the job of the police - doing the sacrificing for mother and daughter.
Ms Norris joined Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips to meet 999 control handlers during a visit to Kent Police’s Coldharbour Police Complex in Aylesford, Kent, on Thursday.
Police showed them an emergency response video call – known as rapid video response – which officers are using as part of efforts to ensure that victims get a fast response and are referred to support services as quickly as possible.
In that example, police said the woman who called had said the alleged perpetrator was not home so it was deemed safe to respond with a video call rather than a home visit.
Raneem’s Law will be brought into effect through national guidance that police will be required to follow.
“The first instance when someone calls 999 – this is the first time where you really need to give them the right safeguarding. They need to be heard,” Ms Norris said.
“They need to be given the opportunity to be saved.
“And 999 call handlers, with specialists, they’ll be able to offer that.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (front left), safeguarding minister Jess Phillips (back right) and counsellor and campaigner Nour Norris (back left) meet 999 control handlers during a visit to Kent Police’s Coldharbour Police Complex in Aylesford, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Ms Cooper said: “What we’ve seen is if there is proper domestic abuse expertise, it means that you can get the right response to the calls that come in and proper understanding of the seriousness of domestic abuse as a crime and how lives are at risk.
“In the most serious cases, as we saw in the awful case where Raneem and her mother Khaola lost their lives because the police didn’t respond to a 999 call.
“We cannot let that happen, and that’s why we want to make sure that we’ve got that expertise that we need in 999 control rooms across the country.”
It comes as the Metropolitan Police confirmed on Wednesday that four officers are under investigation for misconduct after two women were murdered by a man they had complained about to the force.
Carl Cooper, 66, was jailed for life in July for the murders of Naomi Hunte, 41, who was stabbed in the chest, and Fiona Holm, 48, whose body has never been found.
Both women had been in a relationship with handyman Cooper around a year apart and had complained to police about his violence.
A domestic abuse protection order pilot is to be launched in November that will place tougher sanctions on domestic abusers if they fail to stay away from their victims.
Perpetrators will be legally required to inform the police of any name or address changes under the new orders.
The orders will also allow electronic tagging to be imposed and assessments for behaviour change programmes to be ordered.
Whilst we broadly support the raft of measures announced by the Home Office, including specialists in 999 control rooms, we need to see far more detail on how these plans will be implemented and how staff will be safely recruited, vetted and most importantly trained for this pilot scheme due to be implemented in early 2025
Abigail Ampofo, Refuge
There will also be no maximum duration for these orders, unlike current powers police have to order abusers to not make contact with or go within a certain distance of their victim, which expire after 28 days.
Breaching one of these new orders will be a criminal offence, punishable by up to five years in prison.
They can be applied for all forms of domestic abuse, including violence, stalking and controlling behaviour.
Family and civil courts as well as local authorities, charities and social services will be able to apply the orders – rather than only police and criminal courts.
Abigail Ampofo, interim chief executive of Refuge, said: “Whilst we broadly support the raft of measures announced by the Home Office, including specialists in 999 control rooms, we need to see far more detail on how these plans will be implemented and how staff will be safely recruited, vetted and most importantly trained for this pilot scheme due to be implemented in early 2025.”
Ms Ampofo said Refuge had been waiting “with bated breath” for the rollout of domestic abuse protection orders first announced by the previous government and is pleased the pilot is getting up and running.
She added: “However, we know there are a myriad of issues when it comes to police using their powers to protect survivors and hold perpetrators to account, so often survivors tell us that the police don’t act on breaches of these orders, and they are often worth ‘little more than the paper they are written on’.”
Almost 100 domestic abuse-related offences were recorded by the police every hour on average last year, the Home Office said.
The aunt of Raneem Oudeh, who was killed by her ex-partner, says her niece was ‘not heard until she lost her life’.
Campaigner Nour Norris during a visit to Kent Police’s Coldharbour Police Complex in Aylesford, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA)
PA Wire
Helen Corbett
Helen Corbett
Domestic violence victims need to be heard the first time they call 999, a campaigner whose niece was killed by her ex-partner after calling the police multiple times has said.
Nour Norris, whose niece Raneem Oudeh, 22, and sister Khaola Saleem, 49, were murdered by Ms Oudeh’s ex-partner in 2018, said that those calling the police for help “need to be given the opportunity to be saved”.
The Home Office has said some police forces will start embedding domestic abuse specialists in their 999 control rooms early next year as part of “Raneem’s Law” to transform the way the police handle cases of violence against women and girls.
The Government will fund the pilot in targeted police forces from early 2025, but did not say how many forces would be involved in the initial rollout.
An inquest found mistakes made by West Midlands Police had “materially contributed” to Ms Oudeh and Ms Saleem’s deaths.
On the night they were killed, Ms Oudeh had called West Midlands Police four times to register concerns for her safety, and the force had previously responded to 10 domestic abuse incidents linked to the case.
Five officers were disciplined over the failures.
Nour Norris, the sister and aunt of Khaola Saleem and Raneem Oudeh, who were killed by Ms Oudeh’s ex-partner (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Ms Norris said her sister and niece “tried their best to be here today” but “the system failed”.
She said: “No-one should really have to suffer what Raneem suffered.
“Trying to explain herself, trying to put an administration order in place for herself … trying to do whatever it takes to be heard, and she was still not heard until she lost her life.
“My sister lost her life because she was doing the job of the police – doing the sacrificing for mother and daughter.”
My sister lost her life because she was doing the job of the police - doing the sacrificing for mother and daughter.
Ms Norris joined Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips to meet 999 control handlers during a visit to Kent Police’s Coldharbour Police Complex in Aylesford, Kent, on Thursday.
Police showed them an emergency response video call – known as rapid video response – which officers are using as part of efforts to ensure that victims get a fast response and are referred to support services as quickly as possible.
In that example, police said the woman who called had said the alleged perpetrator was not home so it was deemed safe to respond with a video call rather than a home visit.
Raneem’s Law will be brought into effect through national guidance that police will be required to follow.
“The first instance when someone calls 999 – this is the first time where you really need to give them the right safeguarding. They need to be heard,” Ms Norris said.
“They need to be given the opportunity to be saved.
“And 999 call handlers, with specialists, they’ll be able to offer that.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (front left), safeguarding minister Jess Phillips (back right) and counsellor and campaigner Nour Norris (back left) meet 999 control handlers during a visit to Kent Police’s Coldharbour Police Complex in Aylesford, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Ms Cooper said: “What we’ve seen is if there is proper domestic abuse expertise, it means that you can get the right response to the calls that come in and proper understanding of the seriousness of domestic abuse as a crime and how lives are at risk.
“In the most serious cases, as we saw in the awful case where Raneem and her mother Khaola lost their lives because the police didn’t respond to a 999 call.
“We cannot let that happen, and that’s why we want to make sure that we’ve got that expertise that we need in 999 control rooms across the country.”
It comes as the Metropolitan Police confirmed on Wednesday that four officers are under investigation for misconduct after two women were murdered by a man they had complained about to the force.
Carl Cooper, 66, was jailed for life in July for the murders of Naomi Hunte, 41, who was stabbed in the chest, and Fiona Holm, 48, whose body has never been found.
Both women had been in a relationship with handyman Cooper around a year apart and had complained to police about his violence.
A domestic abuse protection order pilot is to be launched in November that will place tougher sanctions on domestic abusers if they fail to stay away from their victims.
Perpetrators will be legally required to inform the police of any name or address changes under the new orders.
The orders will also allow electronic tagging to be imposed and assessments for behaviour change programmes to be ordered.
Whilst we broadly support the raft of measures announced by the Home Office, including specialists in 999 control rooms, we need to see far more detail on how these plans will be implemented and how staff will be safely recruited, vetted and most importantly trained for this pilot scheme due to be implemented in early 2025
Abigail Ampofo, Refuge
There will also be no maximum duration for these orders, unlike current powers police have to order abusers to not make contact with or go within a certain distance of their victim, which expire after 28 days.
Breaching one of these new orders will be a criminal offence, punishable by up to five years in prison.
They can be applied for all forms of domestic abuse, including violence, stalking and controlling behaviour.
Family and civil courts as well as local authorities, charities and social services will be able to apply the orders – rather than only police and criminal courts.
Abigail Ampofo, interim chief executive of Refuge, said: “Whilst we broadly support the raft of measures announced by the Home Office, including specialists in 999 control rooms, we need to see far more detail on how these plans will be implemented and how staff will be safely recruited, vetted and most importantly trained for this pilot scheme due to be implemented in early 2025.”
Ms Ampofo said Refuge had been waiting “with bated breath” for the rollout of domestic abuse protection orders first announced by the previous government and is pleased the pilot is getting up and running.
She added: “However, we know there are a myriad of issues when it comes to police using their powers to protect survivors and hold perpetrators to account, so often survivors tell us that the police don’t act on breaches of these orders, and they are often worth ‘little more than the paper they are written on’.”
Almost 100 domestic abuse-related offences were recorded by the police every hour on average last year, the Home Office said.
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