Response to CPS data January 2020

It is disappointing to see no improvement in the CPS data for domestic abuse prosecutions. And the increase in time for charging decisions will cause even more distress to victims during an already difficult experience

Disclosing domestic abuse to the police is a huge step, requiring victims and survivors to make complex calculations about their safety. When someone does feel able to report, they should get an appropriate, empathetic response from the police. They should also feel confident that the CPS and wider criminal justice system will take every step to make them safe and bring the perpetrator to justice.

Criminal justice is only part of the picture. We want to see a properly funded system, which can wrap around victims/survivors and their families, with all frontline responders from health to housing trained to understand the dynamics of domestic abuse, working alongside Independent Domestic Violence Advisors and other specialist professionals.