Sussex Police - Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan
30 September 2014
In September 2013, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) was commissioned by the
Home Secretary to thematically inspect the police response to domestic violence and abuse.
All
forces in England and Wales were inspected and in March 2014 the HMIC published its national
report, Everyone’s business: Improving the police response to domestic abuse; and individual reports
for each police force in England and Wales.
One of the key national HMIC recommendations was for every police force in England and Wales to
establish and publish an action plan that specifies in detail what steps it will take to improve its
approach to domestic abuse. Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority for Sussex Police and I am
pleased to publish the Sussex Police Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan, which we have developed
with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex, our statutory and voluntary partners, and
survivors of domestic abuse. Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy, head of Specialist Crime for
Surrey and Sussex Police will oversee both the Surrey and Sussex domestic abuse improvement
plans.
Sussex Police is also working closely with Surrey Police and significant steps have been taken to
develop a collaborative approach in tackling domestic abuse. A domestic abuse task force is utilising
officers from both forces and was established following the publication of the HMIC report. The
intention is to deliver improvements, combine knowledge and experience and deliver economies of
scale where possible.
This has included the development of our training programme and
implementing new domestic abuse legislation, such as Claire’s law and Domestic Violence Protection
Orders (DVPOs).
I am committed to improving Sussex Police response to domestic abuse. To deliver a better service
to survivors of domestic abuse and effectively bringing perpetrators to justice requires sustained
improvement by the police and our partners. As this plan develops I hope we will protect more people
and tackle the terrible harm that is caused by domestic abuse.
Giles York,
Chief Constable
Sussex Police - Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan
Review Recommendation
Key Actions
Owner
Implementation
Timescale
Progress
Status
(Green,
Amber,
Red)
First Contact
HMIC Recommendation 1
To enhance the system used
by the Force Control Room
to ensure front line officers
have access to all available
intelligence/information when
attending a DA incident,
allowing them to make
accurate assessments of the
level of risk.
To develop an I.T. solution by October
2014 and rollout new palm tops and
smart phones which will be able to
receive history markers, giving officers
full details of background and
intelligence.
CI Brookman
& DI Prior
Rollout of phase
1 – January
2015.
The rollout of the new force wide smart
phones and handhelds is due to start
at the start of 2015. DI Prior will work
with the project team to ensure DA
information is passed to operational
officers and the Communications
Room staff understand the need to
supply this. Communications room
rotational training starts in November
and Public Protection branch will
design and deliver an input on DA to
staff.
Amber
Sussex force wide DA
initiative
To establish an effective
Repeat Victims policy.
To establish means to accurately
identify at first point of contact with the
police whether the caller is a repeat DA
victim.
DI Prior
Draft policy –
completed.
Training of PCC
staff and
operational
officers –
November 2014.
The training will lead to more effective
operational response and safety
planning leading to improved victim
confidence.
Surrey Police are trialling a Repeat
Victim policy and this has been sent
out to our Adult Protection Teams
(APTs) for consultation. Feedback is
awaited at the next DA working group.
Amber
Plan Owner: Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy
Plan Managers: Detective Chief Inspector Dave Oakley
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Sussex Police - Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan
Review Recommendation
Key Actions
Owner
Implementation
Timescale
Progress
Pilot launched in
West Sussex –
early September
2014 with the
intention of
rolling out
across the two
forces in
January 2015.
The full roll out of a scheme will
increase victim confidence and
enhance partnership working by
providing educational establishments
with an insight into pressures faced by
young persons whose families are
subject of DA. Initial feedback from the
pilot sites is positive and the full county
launch is anticipated in January 2015.
Status
(Green,
Amber,
Red)
Initial Response
Sussex force wide DA
initiative
To implement across
Sussex/Surrey Op
Encompass which aims to
support children by using
key professionals who have
been identified within
schools. Children at risk from
DA incidents are identified
early on and the principles of
Op Encompass are initiated.
To develop the Op Encompass initiative
across the two force areas in a
partnership approach with education.
Plan Owner: Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy
Plan Managers: Detective Chief Inspector Dave Oakley
Supt Furnell &
DI Jenkins
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Amber
Sussex Police - Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan
Review Recommendation
HMIC recommendation 2
The force should provide
greater clarity for staff over
what is considered positive
action.
Key Actions
Owner
To close the knowledge gap which
exists in some frontline staff, over the
need to take positive action at DA
incidents and put in place an effective
safety plan for the victim.
Officers will be trained to understand the
minimum standard to be applied to DA
incidents – via leadership, training and
investigative practice.
Supt Furnell
Implementation
Timescale
Develop training
by Autumn 2014
via the new DA
training strategy
Progress
A proposed training strategy is due to
be signed off in October 2014 and
implementation will follow. Once
scoping of the issue has been
undertaken a completion date can be
applied.
Discussed by the DA working group, it
was agreed knowledge gaps exist with
operational officers. Public Protection
branch are developing a localised
training input suitable for delivery by
APT staff. This will then be delivered
across the force. - Target date October
14.
Management of Risk
Plan Owner: Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy
Plan Managers: Detective Chief Inspector Dave Oakley
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Status
(Green,
Amber,
Red)
Amber
Sussex Police - Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan
Review Recommendation
HMIC recommendation 6
The force should urgently
evaluate the reasons why so
many Domestic Abuse
Stalking Harassment
(DASH) assessments have
the level of risk altered on
review by the APT. (DASH
risk assessments are always
completed by the attending
officer but HMIC has
concerns about their
accuracy, due to the level of
re-grading both upwards and
downwards. The number of
re-graded assessments is
significant, meaning that
officers are not recognising
the correct level of risk, and
victims may not be getting
the level of support they
require)
Sussex force wide DA
initiative
Implement across Sussex
and Surrey the Domestic
Violence Disclosure Scheme
(DVDS) also known as
Claire’s Law
Key Actions
Owner
Implementation
Timescale
Progress
Status
(Green,
Amber,
Red)
To conduct a review by the Protecting
Vulnerable People (PVP) policy and
audit team to identify common issues
External assistance/audit has been
agreed in principle with Co-ordinated
Action Against Domestic Abuse
(CAADA) charity.
Severity of abuse grid – which gives
descriptors to assist in establishing level
of abuse, has been circulated to all APT
DS’s for comments.
DI Prior
Sussex & Surrey
review due in
October 2014 and
recommendations
considered
November 2014.
The DA working group will ensure
greater supervision is applied to the
DASH form and it will be tested by the
HMIC PEEL Interim Assessment in
October 2014.
The introduction of the new Single
Combined Assessment of Risk Form
(SCARF) across the force will assist in
focusing first line supervision on the
importance of accurate risk assessing
and the DASH review will highlight
gaps in our processes.
Amber
The scheme went live pan
Sussex/Surrey on 8th March 2014.
DCI Oakley
Project launched
February 2014
and completed in
March 2014.
Claire’s Law is now regarded as core
business with at least 57 applications
made to Sussex since March 2014.
Green
Plan Owner: Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy
Plan Managers: Detective Chief Inspector Dave Oakley
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Sussex Police - Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan
Review Recommendation
Key Actions
Owner
Sussex force wide DA
initiative
To Implement Domestic
Violence Prevention Notices
and Prevention Orders (GO
Orders) across Sussex and
Surrey
To link with key internal and external
stakeholders and train them in respect
of this legislation and implementation in
a cost effective manner.
DCI Oakley
Surrey-Sussex Police joint
initiative.
Introduce effective policing
for managing domestic
abuse cases and firearms
holders.
To implement effective policy across
both forces to enable officers to consider
using powers to seize firearms when
attending domestic abuse incidents.
Sussex HMIC
recommendation 6
The force should review the
mechanism of how
information is provided to
officers in respect of both
victims and those
perpetrators assessed as
being at greatest risk to
victims.
To establish a system which effectively
manages serial perpetrators, using a raft
of police strategies.
Plan Owner: Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy
Plan Managers: Detective Chief Inspector Dave Oakley
Implementation
Timescale
Progress
Status
(Green,
Amber,
Red)
Project launched
in March 2014
and completed in
June 2014.
This initiative was jointly implemented
by Sussex/Surrey. To date the 2 forces
have completed nearly 70 DVPOs.
Good partnership work exists between
Westgate Chambers, Courts and
Partners. Minor issues regarding
process have been raised and
amended accordingly. An on-going
review function has been applied to
this project.
DI Prior
Target date for
implementation
November 2014
To ensure firearms are seized from
those involved in DA incidents as a
part of initial safeguarding and safety
planning.
Amber
DI Prior
Louise
Williams
Re-establish
serial perpetrators
groups in Surrey –
September 2014.
Sussex to assess
the Surrey model
and implement by
November 2014.
To identify and then deploy a raft of
measures to reduce the opportunities
for serial perpetrators to re-offend
ensuring the system is fit for purpose
and divisional staff have the capacity
to act upon the information supplied.
Amber
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Green
Sussex Police - Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan
Review Recommendation
Key Actions
Owner
Implementation
Timescale
Progress
Status
(Green,
Amber,
Red)
Working with Partners
Surrey-Sussex Police joint
initiative
To develop the introduction
of Multi-Agency
Safeguarding Hubs (MASH)
across Sussex/Surrey,
ensuring consistency of
processes.
To implement with our partners fully
integrated Multi-Agency Safeguarding
Hubs (MASH) across Sussex and
Surrey.
Supt Furnell &
Saville
Implementation
of MASHs
countywide end of
December 2014.
Sussex HMIC
recommendation 5
The force should streamline
the contacts made with
victims. This action was
raised as relevant to both
Sussex and Surrey by the
HMIC.
This issue is being progressed by the
DA working group and a new Single
Combined Assessment of Risk Form
(SCARF) is being developed which will
assist in streamlining the approach from
numerous agencies.
CAADA has been engaged and advice
sought re this issue. CAADA will hold a
Sussex/Surrey multi-agency scrutiny
panel in Sept/Oct and assess the extent
of the issue and make
recommendations.
Sussex to link with Surrey and look to
implement the Surrey protocol re
Witness Care Units (WCUs) and APTs.
DCI Smith &
Sue Janman,
Witness Care
Manager
The proposed
date for holding
a scrutiny panel
is November
2014.
Plan Owner: Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy
Plan Managers: Detective Chief Inspector Dave Oakley
MASH introduced in Brighton in
Summer 2014. East Sussex are
engaged and are currently developing
a MASH.
West Sussex currently operate a
MASH (light) and intend to progress,
by adding further partners.
Surrey now has a single multi agency
hub in place covering the entire force
area.
WCUs across both forces have been
tasked to link in with partners and
consider methods of streamlining their
approach to victims.
This has helped with a considerable
improvement in the forces attrition rate.
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Amber
Amber
Sussex Police - Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan
Review Recommendation
Key Actions
Owner
Implementation
Timescale
Progress
Status
(Green,
Amber,
Red)
Organisational Issues
Surrey-Sussex Police joint
initiative
This action plan should be
developed as a joint
enterprise between Surrey
and Sussex police.
Governance, engagement, development
and implementation should be the same
for both force areas.
CAADA have been approached to
review victim contact and Refuge has
been asked to apply independent
governance to the DA plan.
Supt Furnell
July 2014,
completion date.
HMIC recommendation 3
The force should review the
training delivered to staff
about domestic abuse. In
particular, ensuring that staff
receive appropriate training
in coercive control and
psychological control,
stalking and harassment and
so-called honour-based
violence
To improve the training and awareness
given to staff in their approach to DA.
Supt Furnell
A new DA training
strategy is due for
approval at the
end of September
2014.
An
implementation
date will be set
following the sign
off of the training
strategy.
Plan Owner: Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy
Plan Managers: Detective Chief Inspector Dave Oakley
The joint Sussex/Surrey DA task force
will work jointly from August 2014. DCI
Bex Smith (Surrey Police) will be the
DA lead from September 2014 for both
forces.
Joint training, sharing of resources and
best practice will continue, as will the
identification of economies of scale
and a swifter implementation of the
recommendations.
Learning and Development teams
across both forces have been engaged
and agree a new Sussex/Surrey
training strategy is required to develop
a more victim focused approach and
greater understanding of DA issues by
operational staff.
The training will cover areas such as
Harmful Traditional Practices, DA in
same sex partnerships, as well as core
police issues such as gathering and
improving forensic awareness.
The intention is for all staff to
undertake a 1 day annual DA training
programme underpinned by DA
champions on division.
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Green
Amber
Sussex Police - Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan
Review Recommendation
Key Actions
Owner
Implementation
Timescale
Progress
Status
(Green,
Amber,
Red)
HMIC recommendation 4
The force should consider
how to raise the levels of
knowledge of staff in how
best to undertake effective
safety planning.
(links to action 15)
Consultation with CAADA has identified
good practice whereby ‘Safety Planning
Kits’ are issued to operational staff to
use in appropriate DA cases. A budget
would be required to implement with
some training. Collecting evidence at
the scene makes the best use of
resources.
DI Prior
The target date
for this training is
as
recommendation
15 above.
Training needs analysis to be
undertaken to assess the depth of the
issue and the finance required to
purchase the proposed safety kits.
This is a training issue and will be
covered by the above.
Raised levels of knowledge in staff in
how to best undertake effective safety
planning will be an on-going
development delivered by divisional
supervision and enhanced by the new
training strategy.
Amber
HMIC recommendation 7
The two forces should
review urgently how it
monitors the conclusions
from domestic homicide
reviews to ensure that any
recommendations are acted
upon.
Implement monthly Surrey-Sussex
Crime Review Meeting, chaired by ACC
(Specialist Crime)
Monitor implementation of Domestic
Homicide Review action plans and
share learning from national bulletins
and individual case reviews
ACC Cundy
& Supt
Fowler
The target date
for
implementation is
August 2014, and
this has been
achieved.
All learning from DHRs is discussed at
the Surrey-Sussex Crime Review
meeting chaired by ACC Cundy. Both
force review teams attend this
meeting, and actions are given to
share recommendations with both
forces from this meeting.
Action plans are discussed between
the D/Supt and DCI’s and reviewed
regularly by the D/Supt to ensure that
the plans are updated and
implemented.
Green
Plan Owner: Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy
Plan Managers: Detective Chief Inspector Dave Oakley
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Sussex Police - Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan
Review Recommendation
HMIC recommendation 8
The force should consider
how it can better measure
how effective it is in
responding to incidents of
domestic abuse. (The
current focus is on quantity,
for example, on attrition and
arrest rates. The force has
not undertaken a countywide
problem profile on domestic
abuse, which would help
shape its overall response,
instead relying on more local
analysis).
Surrey-Sussex Police joint
initiative
To implement across the 2
forces a new internal DA
policy with a tool kit giving
guidance for staff on how to
deal with DA, repeat DA and
spot the signs of DA
amongst their colleagues.
Key Actions
Owner
Implementation
Timescale
Progress
Status
(Green,
Amber,
Red)
A force wide DA problem profile has
been commissioned.
Terms of reference and initial research
are currently being completed.
Jo Cole,
Senior
Intelligence
Analyst
July/August 2014
is target date for
delivery of the
product
The draft report
has been
delivered and will
be assessed by
the October DA
working group.
The DA profile will allow the force to
measure and better understand
attrition and arrest rates providing a
focus on quality rather than quantity.
A draft profile has been completed and
is currently being assessed.
Amber
To successfully implement this policy,
raising awareness amongst staff
DI Prior
HR Lead
Target date
August for the
policy to be
written.
Consultation in
September and a
launch date by
end of October
2014.
This policy will allow the two
organisations a degree of confidence
that staff can better understand the
signs of DA abuse and know it is taken
seriously, with clear guidance on how
to report either within or outside the
organisation.
Amber
Plan Owner: Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy
Plan Managers: Detective Chief Inspector Dave Oakley
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Sussex Police - Domestic Abuse Improvement Plan
Review Recommendation
Key Actions
Surrey-Sussex Police
Domestic Abuse Initiative,
Develop a Harmful
Traditional Practices strategy
to deliver a greater
understanding, improved
investigation and an
increase in confidence
amongst our harder to reach
communities.
1. To ensure Surrey & Sussex Police
have a greater understanding of
HTP and our communities can have
confidence in the police should they
report such an incident
Owner
DCI Oakley
Implementation
Timescale
To roll out this
programme by
April 2015
Progress
To show an increase in reporting and
prosecution of these HTP type
offences.
The delivery plan includes training,
awareness raising both internally and
externally and an investigation strategy
along with better partnership
engagement.
3
Plan Owner: Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy
Plan Managers: Detective Chief Inspector Dave Oakley
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Status
(Green,
Amber,
Red)
Amber