Violence against women is a national emergency, but will police do anything? | Letter

For many women, it will come as no surprise that violence against women is now a “national emergency” (Violence against women a ‘national emergency’ in England and Wales, police say, 23 July). What may raise eyebrows, however, is the fact that it is the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s own analysis confirming this. The question is: what will the police do about it?

In my own personal dealings, the police have come across as poorly trained. I once made a complaint to the police about being seriously harassed by a male stranger on the street. I later found out that my statement to the police had not been logged. I complained a second time; while my complaint was logged in this instance, the onus was on me to provide evidence and check if there was any CCTV in the area. Ultimately, the case went nowhere. On a separate occasion, a police officer at my local station told me the man masturbating next to me on a bus had not committed an offence, as there had been no indecent exposure.

Sadly, in other cases, serving police officers have either been guilty of gross misconduct (in the case of sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman), or have been found to be downright dangerous (in the case of Sarah Everard).

If the police are not taking violence against women and girls seriously, the message violent male perpetrators receive is that they will get away with it. The police’s own findings will simply be another document that is ignored unless serious action is taken. We need thoroughly vetted police officers who are properly trained to protect women and girls from violence.
Cynthia Scott
London