Yes, we have a new layer of democracy in the UK, we can now elect out Police Crime Commissioners and help set priorities for local Police forces, who tackle crime in our areas.
This vote has been available to the public since 2012. May 2016 will be be the second set of nationwide elections for the Police Crime Commissioner (PCC). I don't know what the campaign budget is for candidates who hope to gain a win. You will probably have had literature through the door giving details of competing candidates. I have certainly seen pamphlets from Plaid Cymru and Welsh Labour addressed to me. Welsh Labour candidate David Taylor put a heavy emphasis on tackling domestic abuse in North Wales, especially against women. Because of this he is likely to secure my vote.
The Police Crime Commissioner is in a vital role for women who are abused, their children, and families. It is his job to set policing priorities and listen to the local community through complaints procedures as well as consultation. In our area, the elected PCC will help find the money to resource the local Police force through Council tax levies and balance the books. He will be a direct report for the Chief Constable, holding him to account, and he will listen and respond to the public's experiences of crime and policing in the area.
It is clear that as with all roles that are publicly elected the PCC candidates will have been subject to lobbying. When I read Welsh Labour candidate David Taylor's commitments to the public should he be elected, it was implied that lobbying by women's charities had already taken place. David Taylor claimed he would:
- Tackle human trafficking of which there is evidence in our North Wales region
- Train Police Officers to spot victims of domestic abuse earlier
- Encourage agencies to share information pertaining to domestic abuse to secure convictions
- Protect the young and old against cyber harassment of all forms
- Create a cyber school to help young people of North Wales deter cyber abuse
- Provide equal access to services for first language Welsh speakers
I ask you to check your own Police Crime Commissioner candidates for evidence that they will tackle crimes against women of all ages, who are often disbelieved or ignored by police forces, which have a legitimate set of problems when collecting evidence for violent, coercive crimes against women that often occur in a private space.
Female police officers especially can make a massive difference in the lives of women who are abused. Outside of their role as prosecutors, specially trained female officers often encourage and support women to become active within their communities, even if they choose to stay with an abusive man. The Police can offer checks on men victims date through a process called 'Clair's Law' where women can find out if a partner has a previous criminal conviction for abuse. Officers can restore dignity to women and affirm that her experiences are outside of what the Police consider 'normal.' Police Forces work with domestic violence charities like Refuge and Women's Aid to give access to wider services and to educate women and their families about domestic abuse.
Police Crime Commissioner's play a vital role is securing access to well-trained Police Officers for female victims of crime. Police in England and Wales receive a call related to domestic abuse every 30 seconds. Two women a week are killed by incidents of domestic violence. 49% of all reported harassment crime has a domestic element, 33% of assaults are due to domestic violence, 11% of all reported sexual offences, and 8% of all reported crime. These figures represent reported crime only. Women victims are often reluctant to inform their local Police force.
What will your PCC do for women? What can you do? Use the following resources to find out...
Resources
http://www.1in4women.com/how-can-i-help.php
Refuge have written a wonderful article that gives checklists. Have you met a victim of domestic abuse? How can you help her?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2016/police
The biggest way you can help on May 5th is use your vote wisely. Check your candidates profiles. Are they willing to make violence against women a crime priority in your area? The BBC have produced an area by area guide.
http://www.davidtaylor.uk/
Once you have found out who your local candidates are check each of their campaign websites for evidence of their election promises. If there isn't evidence that they plan explicitly to support abused women and other vulnerable populations, why is that not there? What evidence is there that they will listen to the community? Can you tweet them or email and find out if they are prepared to liaise with women's groups, specifically Refuge and Women's Aid, to provide joined-up services for female victims of abuse and their children? Who are the local groups in your area who campaign for women? Can you contact them and find out how they hope to be supported by your PCC?
* pic shows male & female officers from Soho, London, because public domain images of local police forces are rare. (By Octagon - Own work, Public Domain) https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6331871 *
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