Police domestic abuse campaign results in high number of arrests

A significant number of people were arrested as part of the Northamptonshire Police Christmas domestic abuse awareness campaign.

359 individuals were arrested for domestic abuse related offences in December. Two of those detained were featured on the police ‘Top Ten’ most wanted offender list.

As part of the campaign, the names and photos of the ten most wanted domestic abuse offenders were shared with the press, and posted across police social media channels. Intelligence suggests that a further three of the ten listed may have left the UK.

The Force typically sees a spike in domestic abuse incidents over the festive season, which is why the awareness campaign was launched, and why from mid-December police officers worked proactively to target known abusers and safeguard high risk victims.

As part of this work a number of victim welfare checks were undertaken. During one such visit, a domestic abuse perpetrator was found hiding in a wardrobe and arrested. The individual was breaking bail conditions and also had an outstanding warrant for GBH. Their subsequent arrest not only safeguarded the victim but also a young child present at the address. 

In addition, police officers also made checks on a number of known perpetrators, including those who were on police bail, to confirm they were adhering to their bail conditions. Also, compliance checks were made to offenders who had been served with Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPO) – to ensure they were keeping away from the victim as per the terms of the order.

A DVPO is a civil order that provides protection to victims by enabling the police and magistrates’ courts to put in place protective measures in the immediate aftermath of a domestic violence incident. A number of protection notices were issued over the Christmas period to help safeguard victims. 

Detective Superintendent Rich Tompkins, Head of Public Protection said: “It’s pleasing to see such a high number of arrests, but equally, it’s really saddening to see the increase in domestic abuse incidents we commonly experience over the festive season.

“Domestic abuse is a matter of priority for Northamptonshire Police. There is no excuse for this type of behaviour and we will continue to go after offenders, no matter what time of year it is. We will seek justice for victims and continue to safeguard individuals and families affected by this vile offence.   

“We work closely with statutory and voluntary agencies to ensure anyone who suffers domestic abuse gets the help they need, to highlight the issue of domestic abuse and to explore ways in which we can protect our community.

“I want to encourage anyone suffering from domestic abuse to call their local police on the non-emergency 101 or, in an emergency, always call 999.”

If you're a victim of domestic abuse, or know someone who is and there's an emergency that's ongoing or life is in danger, call 999 now. If you're deaf or hard of hearing, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS serviceExternal Link.

In non-emergency cases and for general advice, please call 101. If you're deaf or hard of hearing, use our textphone service on 18001 101.

You can also call the national 24-hour domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247.

The following links offer guidance and advice.

www.voicenorthants.org - Tel: 0300 303 1965

[email protected] - Tel: 01604 888211

www.ndas.co - Tel: 0300 012 0154

https://eveda.org.uk/contact/  EVE - A domestic abuse service providing women and family refuge, supported programmes and training and consultancy. Tel: 01604 230311.