Progress on policing commitment to protect women and girls

Police forces are implementing key actions to improve the response to violence against women and girls, as part of the Policing violence against women and girls framework.

The framework was launched in collaboration with the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) in December 2021. It will see a fundamental shift in the priority of addressing violence against women and girls and give victims a consistently high standard of service.

• Read about the key actions being implemented by police forces.

No one should have to live in fear of violence. That’s why everyone in policing has to do more to protect women and girls and show them that we can be trusted to keep them safe.

There has been a welcome shift in the priority we give violence against women and girls. Now the College of Policing is focused on giving officers and police staff the best possible training, as well as driving a consistent approach across all 43 police forces, so we can ensure all victims receive a consistently high standard of support, regardless of where they live.

Police officers have a huge range of powers at their disposal. To support their use, the College of Policing has published an online toolkit of tactics and protective tools that can be used to tackle violence and abuse.

The public has rightly been calling for change, and the police service is now responding with an aim to prevent violence, bring these abhorrent offenders to justice and support victims with compassion and care.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh, CEO, College of Policing