Hampshire Constabulary has rolled out a force-wide domestic abuse project to pursue repeat domestic abuse perpetrators as part of a strategy to tackle violence against women.
Since January 2021, Hampshire Constabulary, in partnership with The Hampton Trust, has led the Home Office funded project with the aim to identify and manage the most dangerous perpetrators of physical and sexual violence in the community, offering them pathways to try and help change their behaviour.
Project Foundation was first piloted in Southampton and Eastleigh and has since been rolled out across the remainder of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Working with The Hampton Trust, one of the most respected and innovative UK providers of work in the field of domestic abuse and criminal justice, a method has been devised to analyse existing police data to identify perpetrators for management and intervention by neighbourhood-based High Harm Teams.
The 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.
Project Foundation officers are making unannounced visits to perpetrators, offering them diversion through behavioural change programmes as well as any relevant support to alcohol, drug, mental health or financial problems to stop the cycle of abuse and identify any news relationships where someone could be at risk.
Together with the invaluable expertise of partner agencies, this targeted project seeks to identify the underlying causes of abusive behaviour towards intimate partners and offers long term solutions to protect victims from further abuse and reduce perpetrators’ behaviour.
Detective Chief Inspector David West, Head of Offender Management and lead for Domestic Abuse perpetrator response, has said:
“We know that a large number of domestic abuse cases are not prosecuted due to the incredibly complex nature of the circumstances that have usually occurred in the privacy of a home.
“A victim may have suffered for years before having the confidence to report their abuser, so it’s enormously important that policing responds when it is revealed, by providing effective ongoing help for victims and intervention for the perpetrator.
“We know that women are disproportionately victims of domestic abuse at the hands of men, which is why this is part of our strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. We also know the devastating impact domestic abuse can have on children who witness it in the home.
“When we do not have sufficient evidence to prosecute but we know incidents are happening and someone is suffering, Project Foundation allows us to be relentless at going after abusers by disrupting their behaviour and offering long term change with the help and support of our partners.
“Our results will be seen in those who begin to engage with behaviour change programmes, the reduction of offending and I hope, the increased confidence of victims who have suffered so terribly.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones adds:
“Project Foundation is a great example of Hampshire Constabulary working in partnership with domestic abuse charities to find innovative ways to reduce violence against women.
“By targeting the perpetrators of these crimes, the experts in the field can better understand the root causes and tackle the cycle of abuse.
“Working with the Hampton Trust I am commissioning services to not only prevent re-offending, but to help some of the most at risk people in our communities.
“This is something I am wholly committed to, which is why I created Hampshire and the Isle of Wight’s first Violence Against Women’s and Girls task group in September.”
once again, the police and all other authorities are ignoring 50% of the population and focusing the resources on females -what about male victims of domestic abuse, what about misandry, what about violent and coercive behaviour by females, behind closed doors.
why isn’t Donna Jones wholly committed to ending violence against humans in the home – it is no wonder that there is resentment, when people like her, create the divisions in the first place.
men are being left out and ignored, when they have been victims.
even island echo shows a picture of a mans clenched fist and a woman cowering – talk about a lack of inclusion
Don’t women account for more than half of the population anyway?
Personally, have known plenty of women who have been physically abused by men, and not even one male, maybe the men are too scared and little and weak to speak out perhaps, either way, more women die from domestic abuse in comparison to men.
Don’t even get me started on men intentionally impregnating female partners and using it as a form of control
Doesn’t the latter work both ways?
baffled – you are part of the problem, by referring to those male victims as “weak” because they haven’t come forward. An absolutely disgusting and derogatory snipe at male victims, whose predicament is all to real – try researching the subject -you will see just what some men have endured, before commenting in such a disparaging way.
Considering how men are physically stronger, bigger built, more aggressive and if science is anything to go by, more intelligent than woman.
My sympathy goes out to all people receiving abuse from anyone.
But the fact is, historically and now, women are more likely to be the victim.
baffled says….Don’t even get me started on men intentionally impregnating female partners and using it as a form of control
..
how about – Don’t even get me started on women intentionally getting pregnant and using it as a form of control
Have you had a baby growing inside you and experienced the year long disablement it brings?
Have you heard of prosecco being referred to as husband beater?
Have you ever left this little island?
baffled resorts to sniping and insulting me (reference to not leaving this little island), when losing the argument – this is the first step that a domestic abuser (male or female) takes, as a strategy to regain the upper hand. belittle and insult the other, to knock them down.
The conversation is over baffled- I will no longer engage with you, for the reason above.
Except only some 4-5% of domestic abuse victims are male.
But, hey, don’t let that little fact stop you crying over your bruised male ego.
The picture of the aggressive male AGAIN. Women are never violent
Love how the picture shows a women victim,nothing will ever change and there’s so many thug women out there