Putting the spotlight on domestic abuse in Avon & Somerset

07 April 2015 Putting the spotlight on domestic abuse in Avon & Somerset Between the 25 November and 10 December, Avon and Somerset Police are marking the 16 Days of Action against Gender Based Violence, which began with the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. By Superintendent Deryck Rees  The premise of the 16 days of action is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence, and other forms of violence; it’s an opportunity to highlight the scale and true nature of an issue that is often hidden. The focus of our campaign, this year, will be on the issue of domestic abuse in rural areas, where victims can feel more isolated, and may find it harder to access services than those living in more urban areas. According to the National Rural Crime Network’s research: Domestic abuse, on average, lasts 25% longer in rural areas. Rural victims of DA are half as likely to report their abuse to others. Close-knit rural communities can keep DA hidden, facilitating abuse. Rurality and isolation are used to the advantage of abusers. Support services are scarce, less available, visible, and effective. Rural victims are isolated, unsupported, and unprotected in rural areas, which is ‘normalised’. Throughout the 16 days, we will be striving to build community cohesion in rural areas by encouraging those living in more isolated locations to look out for the signs of domestic abuse and how they can report to the relevant services. Our PCSOs will be attending Talking Cafes across Avon and Somerset to talk about domestic abuse and shed light on the services available to survivors. There is no ‘them and us’ when we’re thinking about victims and survivors of domestic abuse. They are our friends, our family, our neighbours and our colleagues. It’s not always easy to immediately recognise the signs that someone is being abused. But, we are encouraging those who notice something isn’t quite right with a friend, neighbour, or someone from their community, to look, listen, as and ask again. Some of the things to look out for could be a friend being texted an inappropriate number of times by their partner when they aren’t together, a sudden lack of contact from someone, or overhearing abusive language from neighbours during an argument. During the 16 Days of Activism we want to send the message that domestic abuse isn’t something limited to urban areas, it can happen anywhere, and to anyone. We all have a responsibility to look out for the signs of someone being manipulated and abused. If you do decide you would like to speak to the police, you can call 101. Or you can get advice from specialist services in your area. If you or someone else is in immediate danger – call 999.For more information about domestic abuse, please visit www.thisisnotanexcuse.org

Welcome from Simon Prince

07 April 2015 Welcome from Simon Prince As the National Policing Lead for Rural and Wildlife Crime my role is to give guidance and direction on the development of policing services, akin to the two areas of responsibility, to all police forces in England and Wales. As the National Policing Lead for Rural and Wildlife Crime my role is to give guidance and direction on the development of policing services, akin to the two areas of responsibility, to all police forces in England and Wales. Wildlife crime is catered for with the National Wildlife Crime Unit playing a major role in standardising investigations and linking up many partnerships with various other law enforcement agencies and Non-Government Organisations. Rural crime, however, is difficult to define hence the portfolio has to look closely at this area of policing not just as a crime issue but more broadly as ‘rural affairs.’ Rural based crime and issues that can affect rural life has many anomalies to urban crime. Although the categories of crimes are the same e.g. theft, burglary, drugs etc. their impacts on rural communities can be far reaching. A burglary in a town of 20,000 people may only impact on a small percentage of that community. The same burglary in a village of 200 people, however, can impact on all the residents. Replicate this in every hamlet, village and small market town in England and Wales and you can quickly see how important it is for policing to get it right. Building the trust and raising confidence in our rural communities is paramount for rural policing to have the desired impact. We need to listen, take action, tackle, disrupt and prevent crime and anti-social behaviour in our rural communities. Although crime rates are falling we must strive to bring offenders to justice and by working better and smarter with our rural communities we can achieve this. The National Rural Crime Network can assist operational policing in achieving our goals. It can listen to and speak on behalf of the rural communities ensuring that on the ground policing is tackling the important issues, however small they may seem to others. By highlighting the issues, it can influence the guidance and direction taken in rural policing. By working with the College of Policing, we can collectively develop working programmes and Authorised Professional Practices that can deliver the appropriate service to our rural communities. I look forward to working alongside the NRCN.

Welcome from Julia Mulligan

07 April 2015 Welcome from Julia Mulligan Growing up on a hill farm, and now being the Police and Crime Commissioner for the largest rural police force in the country, I am acutely aware of the blight rural crime can have on our more isolated people, communities, and businesses. Through no one’s fault, rural crime has fallen down the agenda, now seemingly an afterthought coming a distant second behind ‘serious’ crime in ‘urban’ areas. That needs to change, and it is changing. The National Rural Crime Network (NRCN) is a positive step forward, highlighting the needs of rural communities and the exploring the toll of hidden crime. Those of us involved in the NRCN, and anyone supporting our cause, will be writing blog posts to keep you up to date with developments. With everyone’s help we can make sure rural crime is front and centre of the police’s mind. To start us off on the right track we have developed this website. A place to share ideas, best practice and much else besides. Please do keep coming back to check for updates because our aim is to make this site as relevant and practical as possible. We are also undertaking what we hope is the biggest ever survey of rural residents and business (aside from the census) to really find out what impact crime has on you. It is your chance to tell us how you feel, and we hope it will shape the future of police services in our rural communities for years to come. Supported by the BBC, the NFU and many others besides, we hope to publish the results of the survey at the end of the summer. So, whilst there is a long road ahead to make sure rural crime, and rural services more widely, are given the prominence they deserve, we hope the National Rural Crime Network is the first step on that road. But none of it will work without your support. Please come back to check the website regularly. If you would like to promote the 2015 National Rural Crime Survey or to be contacted once it is live, please send us your contact details.