Police Reform White Paper must deliver real protection for victims and survivors

The Police Reform White Paper sets out the government’s intention to rebuild trust in policing and improve how police respond to harm, including domestic abuse and violence against women and girls.  

It recognises that policing needs deep cultural change. That matters, because trust has been lost and survivors have been let down.  

Right now, too many victim-survivors do not feel they can trust the police. 4 in 5 victims of domestic abuse never report to the police. Many survivors tell us they do not feel confident they will be believed or kept safe. Rebuilding trust must be at the heart of reform. 

Standards and systems only matter if they improve lived experience. Measuring performance around numbers is not enough if survivors still feel dismissed, judged or unsafe when they reach out. 

We welcome the White Paper’s commitment to clearer 999 standards and improved call handling. SafeLives supported the development of Raneem’s Law because we know how critical that first call can be. Stronger call categorisation, earlier identification of risk and consistent safeguarding decisions save lives. Control room staff need the time, training and support to recognise all types of abuse, including coercive control and honour based abuse, and respond with belief and care from the very start. 

The introduction of a ‘License to Practice’ for officers, alongside a digital skills passport and a renewed focus on continuous professional development, offers a real opportunity to improve policing responses to domestic abuse. This must include mandatory, high-quality specialist training in domestic abuse and coercive control for all officers and staff, which should be created alongside survivors and the specialist sector. Embedding culture-change programmes, such as DA Matters, would support policing to move beyond procedures and towards confident, trauma-informed practice that keeps survivors and children safe. 

SafeLives’ work with police forces shows that when officers understand the patterns and impact of domestic abuse, responses improve. Survivors are believed, risk is identified earlier and decisions are safer. Culture change programmes like DA Matters are effective because they support learning over time and help policing responses become consistent, not dependent on individual officers. 

This approach also reflects the commitments in the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, including improving how policing recognises children as victims of domestic abuse in their own right. Children are affected by domestic abuse long after an incident ends, and too often children are not recognised as victims. Training must reflect this reality so safeguarding decisions prioritise their safety and wellbeing. Policing, amongst other agencies, must do better. 

We welcome reforms to vetting, suspension and misconduct processes, and the stronger focus on tackling police-perpetrated domestic abuse. These reforms must be applied across all forces and roles. Survivors need to know that abuse is taken seriously within policing as well as outside it. 

Real protection also depends on policing working closely with specialist and by and for services in communities. These organisations are lifelines for many survivors. Strong partnerships between police and specialist services are essential to delivering safety, support and recovery. 

For the Police Reform White Paper to make a real difference, its commitments must translate into everyday practice on the ground. Survivors need to feel safe, believed, and supported from the very first point of contact, and throughout their interactions. They deserve nothing less.