Domestic abusers to be added to violent and sex offender register in new crackdown
The most dangerous domestic abusers will be recorded on the violent and sex offender register under new proposals aimed at better protecting the public.
Around 2.4 million people in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse in the last year, with around one in five homicides related to it, according to the Home Office.
Starting immediately, anyone jailed for 12 months or more for coercive control, including suspended sentences, will be placed on the violent and sex offender register.
This means they will have to tell police their name, any aliases and any addresses they stay at for more than a week.
They will also have to inform police about any travel overseas, bank details and whether they stay in a household with a child for more than 12 hours.
Police will also be told they must treat violence against women and girls as seriously as terrorism and similar crimes.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “Domestic abuse is a despicable crime that leads to people’s closest relationships becoming a frightening existence of torment, pain, fear, and anxiety.
“It is completely unacceptable and as home secretary I will do everything in my power to stop it.”
Under the plans, the worst abusers would also be electronically tagged and made to attend behaviour change programmes.
The Home Office will develop a new digital tool to help police identify likely perpetrators, even those without convictions.
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The government plans to spend £8.4m over two years to fund victim support programmes. The Ask For Ani scheme will be piloted in Jobcentre offices across the UK, having been launched in pharmacies two years ago.
The scheme means people at risk of abuse can discreetly make it known that they need help – it has been used to access emergency support once a week on average since it started.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “No woman or girl should ever have to feel unsafe in her home or community and I am determined to stamp out these appalling crimes.”
Labour shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Labour first pushed for a domestic abuse register years ago and so we welcome the eventual commitment to introduce one. But the government isn’t moving quickly enough.
“Ministers promised to make violence against women and girls part of the strategic policing requirement a year ago, after months of pressure from Labour, so it should never have been delayed for this long.
“They still haven’t agreed to Labour’s plan to put domestic abuse specialists into 999 control rooms, nor have they taken action to reverse the shocking collapse in rape charges or record levels of victims dropping out of the criminal justice system.”
