Violence against women and girls in England and Wales has reached “epidemic levels,” UK police have warned, saying forces should prioritize their response to the issue in the same way as they do terrorism and organized crime.
According to a report published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), at least one in every 12 women are subject to violence each year, or 2 million women and at least one in every 20 adults will be a perpetrator of this violence.
The report shows that there has been a 37% rise in the rates of rape, domestic violence, stalking, and harassment in the last five years; the UK Home Office therefore defines VAWG as a “national security threat.”
According to the lead for NPCC on VAWG, Maggie Blyth, the situation amounts to a “national emergency,” in terms of its scale, complexity, and impact on victims. She said that more government action must be taken about VAWG.
Labour’s leader, Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, promised that his government would reduce such violence by 50%. There five major threats contributing to 3,000 VAWG-related crimes daily, the report.
The police in England and Wales logged more than 100,000 cases of rape and other serious sexual offences in the 12 months to the end of March 2023, and 400,000 domestic abuse and stalking incidents.
Despite increasing levels of criminal activity, offenders do not always get caught, and for those who do, only 4. 4% of domestic abuse cases lead to convictions. Jess Phillips Minister for Safeguarding described VAWG as a menace to Britain’s security and a national emergency.
Blyth reiterated the NPCC’s readiness to fight this violence as posited earlier by Home Secretary Michael Howard.
