Specialist support in place for domestic violence victims in Cumbria Police control room over Christmas
These specialist advisors are able to identify when callers are in crisis, working in real-time with police call handlers to focus on the most critical information.
A pilot programme in Cumbria, which has provided instant support to hundereds of people reporting domestic abuse, thanks to the presence of Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) will continue over the festive period.
Launched on 12th September and funded by Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, the initiative enables those making domestic abuse reports via 999 or 101 between Thursday and Sunday, 4pm to midnight, to access direct advice and assistance from Victim Support’s IDVAs.
These specialist advisors are able to identify when callers are in crisis, working in real-time with police call handlers to focus on the most critical information. Victim Support can also follow up with callers who consent to additional support, offering tailored help to cope and recover.
David Allen, Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, previously described the impact of the pilot: "Supporting survivors is at the heart of everything we do, so it is vital that they get support the moment they report.
"It takes a lot of courage to face your abuser and report them to the Police. We want to ensure that those who report have immediate support and advice.
"Since being placed in the call centre, the IDVAs have offered support to 201 survivors – this is truly incredible as it means those who report know that they are not alone in the process."
Detective inspector Mike Taylor is the lead for violence against women and girls for the force.
He said: "We work all year round to catch and stop offenders. Due to a historical rise at Christmas we do place an extra emphasis this time of year on the importance of coming forward.
"We would like to put the message out to any victims out there to have the trust and confidence in ourselves to come forward and report any offences committed.
"We are putting extra patrols out in the night time economy to give the public visible reassurance that we're there to help.
"We're also implementing Op Vigilant which will have plain clothes and uniformed officers dedicated to identifying predatory perpetrators in the night time economy. We want to intervene before they commit offences.
"Prevention is key because we know there's a rise in these type offences in this period. That's why we put in this enhanced approach, to prevent them, as opposed to dealing with victims afterwards.
"I think it'll also be invaluable to have the IDVA's in the room over the festive period. It's already proved to be a benefit when victims call. We know there will be an increase in victims calling over the festive period.
"They will be able to reassure victims and provide expert advice to officers so that those golden hour investigations and interactions with the victims can take place."
Victims can report domestic abuse to the police via 101 or online at Report a crime | Cumbria Police. For urgent help or if a crime is in progress, always call 999.