The Police & Crime Plan for Lancashire 2024-2029 - Page 6

Lancashire Constabulary has a central role to play in protecting the public and preventing victims, supporting those already suffering through violence and doing their part to secure the most successful prosecutions possible.

We must build on the partnership working that already exists to protect those who have fled traumatic experiences, work with victims and offenders to break cycles of offending and keep people safe.

My Office will take the lead on the development of a pan Lancashire Partnership VAWG strategy to ensure a shared vision and plan. It is vital partners come together to develop this, building a clearer vision of what we want to and can achieve, to make our communities safer and ultimately save lives.

Through education, awareness-raising, and community mobilisation, we can change harmful attitudes, practices, and social norms. Preventing these crimes and bringing offenders to justice effectively will continue to be a challenge for police and other agencies for many years to come, and together we are dedicated to making Lancashire a safe place for all women and girls.

Domestic Abuse

Often happening behind closed doors and under reported, it’s vital that we shine a light on what are some of the most devastating offences officers deal with and ensure justice for victims.

As Commissioner, I will:

• Invest in specialist support for domestic abuse victims, ensuring victims have the best possible chance to cope and recover.
• Work with Government to gain funding to enhance the offer of specialist domestic abuse workers in the Constabulary.
• Work with partners to secure investment for and develop programmes designed to tackle perpetrators and keep victims safe, such as the highly successful Drive programme.
• Work with partners to drive forward the new Duty to Collaborate – a commitment to ensuring my Office, our local councils and the Integrated Care Board come together to ensure better commissioning of support for victims.
• Support the implementation and development of the new Lancashire Multi Agency Risk Reduction Assessment Conference model.

Rape and Sexual Offences

Tackling rape and sexual offences is critical to the work of the police and our partners.

These are some of the most horrific crimes which can leave victims and survivors affected for years, if not the rest of their lives.

It is imperative that we protect victims, help them get their lives back and take tough action against perpetrators of sexual assault and abuse.

This should increase confidence for others to report crime, safe in the knowledge that Lancashire Constabulary will work tirelessly to gather evidence and offer support throughout the criminal justice process.

As Commissioner, I will:

• Fund the force Rape and Serious Sexual Offences units to ensure every rape and serious sexual offence is investigated by specialist officers who are rigorously trained to solve these complex crimes.
• Invest in specialist support for rape victims, ensuring victims have the best possible chance to cope and recover.
• Work with partners through my role as chair of the Lancashire Criminal Justice Board to improve the conviction rate for reported rape.
• Support Operation Soteria Bluestone, a collaborative programme to improve outcomes in rape and other serious sexual offence cases.
• Seek additional Government funding to enhance the provision for both adults and children who are victims, including working with partners to secure funding for counselling and therapeutic provision.
• Work closely with the force and NHS England to ensure we have a sustainable Sexual Assault Referral Centre for the County.

Night-time Economy

Whilst the biggest risk to women is sadly from people they already know, targeting locations or situations with a high risk of violence, such as the night-time economy, also has an impact on violence against women and girls (VAWG).

A survey conducted by Empowerment Charity on behalf of my Office earlier this year showed the night-time economy is one of the places women, in particular young women, feel least safe, and it is vital we work to change that.

As Commissioner, I will:

• Work with local authorities and venues to ensure our towns and cities remain safe places for people to enjoy themselves.
• Encourage residents to anonymously flag areas where they don’t feel safe via the national online tool StreetSafe.
• Support policing operations designed to proactively tackle perpetrators in the night-time-economy.

Stalking

Stalking is a high impact crime with often long-lasting effects, causing serious distress, alarm and fear. I will work closely with the Constabulary to ensure that perpetrators are pursued and face the full force of the law.

There is more that needs to be done to improve how the criminal justice system responds to stalking cases, particularly around identifying patterns of behaviour rather than looking at incidents in isolation.

As Commissioner, I will:

• Ensure that anyone affected by stalking can access specialist support to help them move forward.
• Work with the Constabulary to make systematic improvements in how police respond to stalking to ensure effective investigation and support.

Supporting and Preventing Victimisation

Strong enforcement and an increase in successful convictions are both crucial to delivering the VAWG agenda, but preventing victimisation, repeat victims and supporting those impacted by these heinous crimes, also requires preventative work that goes further than arrests.

Addressing the societal issues that all too often lead to the kinds of behaviours that develop into offending is important and requires everybody to play their part through education and support.

As Commissioner I will:

• Work with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Probation, diversion programmes, and local authority partners to generate the funding needed to sustain and develop perpetrator programmes, aimed at breaking the cycle of abuse.
• Create a robust landscape of victim services that can flex and respond to the needs of communities, building trust and confidence and empowering victims to report VAWG crimes to the police.
• Tackle misogyny as the root cause of VAWG by supporting work to end the promotion and hosting of harmful online content.