Commissioner for the City of London Police Pete O’Doherty explains the measures being taken to tackle a growing problem

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) has reached epidemic levels in England and Wales, in terms of its scale, complexity and impact on victims.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) annual report on VAWG shows a 37 per cent increase in recorded VAWG related crimes from 2018/19 to 2022/23. It’s predicted that at least one in every 12 women will be a victim of VAWG every year (two million victims).

National shift
The number of VAWG offences is stark and implies a deeply rooted issue in our society. A national shift in approach is needed to turn the tide on the abuse women and girls face. The NPCC are calling for a whole-system approach, led by the government. This would bring together criminal justice partners, government bodies, education, health, voluntary sectors and industry in a new partnership seeking to reduce the scale and impact of VAWG.

Our local strategy ensures we are making our spaces in the City safer, and relentlessly pursuing offenders. We are active members of the City of London Crime Prevention Association and we understand the importance of working with local communities and businesses. Through these partnerships we support initiatives such as taxi marshalling (safety and security of women utilising taxi services) and safer havens (working with local businesses to provide safer spaces for women to continue their onward journeys).

Preventative measures
We introduced Operation Reframe to create a safe space for women visiting the local night-time economy. The operation aims to ‘reframe the night’ moving from a ‘policed’ approach to facilitating preventative measures with community partners. We work with licensing teams, street cleaning, environmental and community teams, security agencies, St John Ambulance and the Samaritans, to focus on the safety of women, whilst building trust and confidence in the police. Preventative interventions include helping women to get home safely, inspecting private hire vehicles, providing mental health / medical care, general welfare, and testing drinks for spiking.

Safety initiative
We test ‘Ask for Angela’ in licensed premises. This is a safety initiative in the UK where individuals can ask for Angela in bars and clubs to highlight when they are in a situation in which they feel unsafe and need help.

Feedback from members of the public show a clear appreciation for the work being undertaken.
The initiative is also breaking new ground by embracing male colleague support, with men training to become advocates and allies, and then supporting women in the City as guardians. It also allows us to retain a local police presence, whereby officers can still respond in real-time to any incidents of crime, whilst providing reassurance for women from all parts of the city.

Collaborative
‘Capable Guardian’ volunteers in place at local businesses and within the police is a further initiative which progresses a conventional policing approach to a more collaborative and supportive one.

Surveys conducted with those people who had contact with Operation Reframe found that 86 per cent agreed that they would be confident in approaching a guardian volunteer as part of the operation, showing the value in this approach to supporting women.

City of London Police will continue to work with partners to implement Operation Reframe at various points throughout the year. We will also be cited as demonstrating excellent best practice within UK Policing’s Fifth annual report on Gender Equality in Policing.

If you are interested in participating in any of these projects, contact Detective Superintendent Kate MacLeod
kate.macleod@cityoflondon.police.uk

www.cityoflondon.police.uk