Severia Bel
Martin Ward retired from the role of superintendent at Greater Manchester Police in 2006 and believes standards have fallen in the last decade:
“What we see now with internal police culture is one of “us against the world,” and they pretty much pull up the ramparts. [This includes] protecting their colleagues against what they believe are baseless allegations,” he explains.
Ward continues: “If you look at the opportunities presented to people… what I’m seeing at the moment is officers openly abusing their positions, openly abusing their powers, without care. And somewhere along the line, somebody has got to address this.”
Harriet Wistrich, Director of the Centre for Women’s Justice, assures me that there’s no shortage of potential solutions to police perpetrated domestic abuse: from better vetting standards and data collection when allegations arise, to ensuring abuse from a police officer is investigated independently.
However, she believes that nothing short of rooting out “entrenched cultures that are resistant to change” and making “energetic interventions” will ensure lasting change. Otherwise, she warns: “we’re just going to see more abuse, more abusers getting away with it, more terrible stories and more loss of trust and confidence in policing.”
In response to a request for comment from Glamour, the NPCC lead for Violence Against Women and Girls and Deputy CEO of the College of Policing DCC Maggie Blyth stated that while progress has been made, “change hasn’t been quick enough, and much more needs to be done to ensure women and girls feel safe.”
She assured that policing is working to “root out those not fit to wear the uniform” and foster a culture that calls out misogyny. She emphasised the need for officers to be “upstanders, not bystanders,” and committed to implementing changes through the College of Policing’s new framework for 2024-2027.
*Names and some details have been changed to protect victims and survivors’ identities and safety.
Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247, available 24 hours a day 7 days a week for free, confidential specialist support. Or visit www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk to fill in a webform and request a safe time to be contacted or to access live chat (live chat available 3pm-10pm, Monday to Friday). For support with tech abuse visit refugetechsafety.org.
For more information about reporting and recovering from rape and sexual abuse, you can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222.
If you have been sexually assaulted, you can find your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre here. You can also find support at your local GP, voluntary organisations such as Rape Crisis, Women’s Aid, and Victim Support, and you can report it to the police (if you choose) here.
Severia Bel is a freelance journalist focusing on domestic abuse and women’s rights.