Sandra Horley, chief executive of Refuge, said domestic violence was a problem of systemic proportions. She said women and children deemed to be at the highest risk must be given proper protection and the police must not use risk assessment as a "tick box" exercise.
….But despite the drive for consistency, there appear to be huge discrepancies in the way forces assess the risk and gaps in record-keeping.
...In the Metropolitan police area – where one call every six minutes is a domestic violence incident – only 87 women and children were assessed as high risk in one month.
A spokesman for the Met said: "Risk is assessed dynamically and will fluctuate during an investigation. If, for example, a victim is placed in a refuge far from the perpetrator who has no means of determining her whereabouts the risk may be lowered. Risk can of course be raised during investigations if additional evidence comes to light."
Over 12 months West Midlands police assessed 2,082 indidivuals as high risk but admitted it was a minimum figure as four police units had failed to maintain their records.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/26/domestic-violence-risk-death-injury-policea
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