Guernsey Police inspector says more training is needed for charging domestic abuse suspects
An email from a Guernsey Police inspector has asked whether the force's custody sergeants have adequate training to charge domestic abuse suspects.
The email, written last year, was penned by a senior detective inspector who raised concerns that custody sergeants in Guernsey don’t receive the right level of legal training to charge domestic abuse suspects properly.
It highlighted the need for a training plan around police custody sergeant processes and decision-making.
In the UK, people cannot be charged with domestic abuse without the input of a Crown Prosecution Lawyer.
However, this is not the case in Guernsey, and the inspector who wrote the letter refers to a culture of "if in doubt, charge, and let the courts decide", which can lead to domestic abuse cases being dropped by the courts.
In a statement on Monday 21 October, Deputy Chief Officer Richard Bell says: "The email in question relates to our approach to domestic abuse and quite rightly identifies areas for improvement.
"Guernsey Police is determined to do all it can to address domestic abuse whenever it occurs.
"We will work tirelessly to improve the support we provide to victims in the relentless pursuit of offenders."
Guernsey Police say that new legislation will introduce pre-charge bail conditions for offenders released whilst under investigation, as well as the use of domestic abuse protection notices to prohibit contact between an offender and victim even if they have insufficient evidence to charge.
They say the measures - alongside proposed changes to the force's complaints procedure - will help officers make the right decisions.
Deputy Chief Officer Bell adds: "The legislation is only the starting point of our journey to improve our awareness and response to domestic abuse and the wider concerns of violence against women and young girls."
"Last week we delivered the College of Policing “first responder domestic abuse training” to front-line staff and partners.
"It highlighted the vulnerable nature of victims and the coercive and controlling behaviour of offenders, providing officers and partners with the opportunity to work through real-life incidents.
"In anticipation of the new legislation, I have already commissioned a review of our training needs to ensure our officers and staff are equipped and supported to use the new powers."
Safer says that while they cannot comment specifically on police training, but says that there is a current lack of legislation that affords domestic abuse victims any protection while an investigation takes place.
They state: "Without this current protection through legislation, a victim who makes a complaint is left open to further risk of harm by the perpetrator of the reported offence.
"This may lead to charging decisions being made with this being at the forefront of minds.
"Thankfully, new legislation is set to shortly be brought in that will allow for pre-charge bail conditions as an option."
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