By Charlotte Webster-
A police complaint submitted by the Tees Valley Inclusion Project raised concerns that the police response to sexual abuse was putting victims from ethnic minority backgrounds at risk of honour-based abuse.
Following a joint investigation into these concerns, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the College of Policing and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found that some forces did not “clearly understand” the risks of honour-based abuse and, as a result, some victims may be left “unprotected and unsupported”.
The investigation found police recording of ethnicity “is so patchy and inconsistent, forces are unable to properly monitor the equality of the service they provide to the different communities they serve”.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke said: “Reporting sexual abuse is difficult enough for victims, and it is unacceptable those at risk of honour-based abuse are not properly safeguarded when they are courageous enough to report these crimes.
“Our report shows that some police forces simply do not have the awareness and understanding to properly identify and manage the risk of honour-based abuse. We found victims are receiving an inconsistent service from police, and our findings were compounded by patchy data recording of ethnicity.
“It is clear real change is needed. If acted on, our recommendations will go a long way in helping to improve the service these victims receive.”
The report recommends police leaders should work with communities to increase understanding and awareness of cultural differences and how these may inform or affect investigations.
It also makes a number of other recommendations, including:
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), which is currently reviewing data standards for the recording of all protected characteristics, should take the super-complaint into account when proposing changes to address the lack of recorded ethnicity data; and
Police and crime commissioners should ensure that their consultations before commissioning victims’ services are fully inclusive and represent all community views.
”They should then work with local police, safeguarding partners and support organisations to properly understand victims’ needs.
Interim Director General of the IOPC, Tom Whiting, said: “We would like to thank Tees Valley Inclusion Project for lodging this important super-complaint which shines a light on the additional risks some victims may face when they make the difficult decision to report sexual abuse.
“We identified a number of issues with the service these victims receive from the police, including victims struggling to obtain case updates when they need to keep interactions with the police secret.
“The recommendations we have made are an important step in improving this service and we call on policing to respond to ensure all victims receive a service appropriate to their needs.”
College of Policing chief executive officer Chief Constable Andy Marsh said: “We recognise that many dedicated and committed officers and staff provide excellent support and respond sensitively to sexual abuse victims.
“Changes are required to ensure there is a coordinated system of tailored support, including for those at risk of honour-based abuse, no matter where in the country victims live.
“This report adds further evidence that ethnicity recording by forces must improve and there is commitment across the service to raise standards for this data collection.”
The NPCC said it will ensure that the experiences of “the brave victims” who have spoken out in this super-complaint lead to “real change”.
NPCC lead for honour-based abuse, Deputy Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet, said: “While no compelling evidence was found to show ethnic minority victims of sexual abuse receive a poor service, it was found that some forces lack understanding of the risks and complexities of honour-based abuse.
“This is simply not good enough. We must listen to these concerns and solve the problems urgently, fully and for the long term.
“We accept the recommendations made and police chiefs will now work closely with the College of Policing and partners to implement them.
“It is crucial our people are equipped to give all victims the support and protection they deserve. This will be done through effective cultural awareness training and other resources.
“Operation Soteria Bluestone is developing a new nation-wide approach for rape and sexual offences based on pioneering, deep research by academics embedded in police forces, which aims to transform the response to rape.
“This new model should address many of the problems found in this super-complaint.
Deputy Chief Constable Tyron Joyce, Police Race Action Plan programme director, added: “To become a truly inclusive, anti-racist police service, we must record data in a way that lets us properly assess the impact of policing on the black and ethnic minority communities we serve.
“This super-complaint is further evidence that we are not doing it effectively.
“The Police Race Action Plan is working with partners to agree national data standards for recording of ethnicity and race that will address concerns identified in this super-complaint. This is an example of our determination for tangible difference, which we can be measured against.
“These standards will be subject to public consultation and forces may be ordered to include them in their annual figures.”
Crime
Honour-based abuse is a crime or incident committed to protect or defend the ‘honour’ of a family or community.an take many forms, including child marriage, virginity testing, enforced abortion, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, as well as physical, sexual and economic abuse and coercive control
Honour Based Abuse is often thought of as a ‘cultural’, ‘traditional’ or ‘religious’ problem. It can affect people of all ages, but often begins early in the family home.
It is often a deeply entrenched form of coercive control, built on expectations about acceptable and unacceptable behaviours. Control is often established without overt violence against the victim. For example, family members may threaten to kill themselves or ostracise the victim.