More than £350k to help tackle domestic abuse in Hampshire

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has reaffirmed her commitment to reducing such crime.

Working in partnership with the four local authorities plus the Hampton Trust and Stop Domestic Abuse, the money will be spent on recruiting domestic abuse practitioners to work alongside the police as part of the Project Foundation.

The project is an innovative scheme which brings together Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and specialist domestic abuse perpetrator practitioners to identify and manage the most dangerous perpetrators of physical and sexual violence in the community by offering them pathways to try and help change their behaviour as a long term solution to protect victims.

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The project’s focus is on perpetrators whose abuse has occurred in a family setting where children are present and where police have not been able to bring a charge.

The practitioners will help the police identify which perpetrators need intervention to stop offending by analysing existing police and partnership data. The practitioners will then support police with engagement activity to motivate perpetrators to access local support services that can help reduce the risk of re-offending.

Donna Jones said: “I’m delighted to be funding this pioneering project which will ensure a consistent and robust approach to those repeatedly committing domestic abuse.

“As part of my Police and Crime Plan, I committed to working with partners to prioritise and reduce domestic abuse, rape and serious sexual offences. These crimes cause significant harm, they devastate lives and cause ongoing misery to victims and their families if not stopped.

“A lot of perpetrators have alcohol, drug, mental health or financial problems and offering them a pathway to fix these issues helps them change their behaviour.

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“This is about working with perpetrators when police cannot bring a charge to help them make better choices which will reduce reoffending in the long run.”

The money, totalling £359,183 over two years will ensure a consistent approach to tackling domestic abuse perpetrators across the whole of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.