Violence against women and girls (VAWG) related crime rose by almost 40% between 2018 and 2023, to “staggering” levels amounting to a “national emergency”, according to a leading female police chief.
More than a million crimes against women or girls were recorded by police between 2022 and 2023, but a report commissioned by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing estimated at least one in every 12 women – more than two million – will be a victim of VAWG crimes every year.
“The scale of the threat to women and girls in this country is enormous. It is what we call an epidemic,” Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth told Sky News.
VAWG crimes include domestic abuse, rape, sexual assault, stalking, and harassment.
They accounted for 20% of total police recorded crime in England and Wales between 2022 and 2023 – a scale “which cannot be addressed through law enforcement alone”, said DCC Blyth.
Child sexual abuse and exploitation offences also increased by 435% between 2013 and 2022, the report estimated – from just over 20,000 to nearly 107,000.
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“We’re really concerned at the images and the content that are now online. We’re seeing more suspects and victims of online harm being children,” DCC Blythe added.
“Industry needs to do far more to take down that harmful content.”
The report said the average age of a victim is now 13, while the average age of a suspect is 15. Sky News heard from one mother who said her 11-year-old daughter was groomed into sending sexually explicit photographs of herself to men online.
The police have today published a policing statement, and a commitment to establish a National Centre for Public Protection to “provide coordination across forces”.
In 2023 the Conservative government designated violence against women and girls a ‘national threat’ to the public, meaning it should be treated as seriously as crimes like terrorism.
The new Labour administration have promised to “halve violence against women and girls” in the next decade.
‘Catch them before they fall’
Mina Smallman’s two daughters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman were murdered in the Summer of 2020 by a man they didn’t know. They were stabbed to death in a park in London as they celebrated a birthday.
Two Met Police Officers who were deployed to guard the crime scene took photos of their dead bodies and shared them on WhatsApp.
Mina now campaigns for change in attitudes.
“I am sick of it being a woman’s responsibility to keep herself safe,” she told Sky News.
“Don’t drink too much. Don’t wear something provocative. Make sure you have a friend walk with you. Have a key when you walk. It’s ridiculous,” she said.
“What we need is a programme that focuses on education. Catch them before they fall.”
Responding to the policing report she said: “For me and people like me, we already knew this. You’re not telling us anything new.”
Mina supports the categorisation of VAWG crimes with the same seriousness as terrorism.
“At least they’ve got a blueprint of a way to behave. But there is nothing in the report on how they’re going to tackle it.”
The police say they are “not content” with the current criminal justice outcomes for VAWG crimes. Prosecution and charge rates for domestic abuse have reduced by around 45% since 2015.
“A centralised hub within policing that brings together specialised skill sets and capabilities would support police forces in improving their response to violence against women and girls,” said DCC Blyth.
“However, this will only achieve progress as part of a wider, effective criminal justice system, which at present is overwhelmed and under-performing for victims.”