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Podcast on police and domestic violence publication

Hear VISION Senior Research Fellow, Ruth Weir, in conversation with Jackie Turton, University of Essex, as they discuss their recent publication, Policing Domestic Violence: Risk, Policy, and Practice, with Jules Pretty of The Louder than Words podcast series.

Ruth and Jackie collaborated with two serving police officers, Kate Barrow-Grint and Jacqueline Sebire, to write a book that improves police force understanding of the dynamics of how domestic abuse occurs, how best to respond to and investigate it, and, in the longer term, how to prevent it. 

It is a unique collaboration of real-life policing experience blended with the latest academic research and best practice to update some of the theoretical analysis and to highlight areas of good practice like what works and why.

To listen to the podcast please see: The Louder than Words podcast

Or contact Ruth at ruth.weir@city.ac.uk

Photo by Bruno Martins on Unsplash

Webinar: Police body-worn cameras & domestic violence responses

Dr Mary Iliadis, Deakin University

Wednesday, 9 August, 10:30 am – Noon, in-person and online

The VISION Consortium and the Violence and Society Centre at City, University of London, welcome Dr Mary Iliadis, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Deakin University in Australia. She will present ‘The merits and risks of police body-worn cameras in domestic and family violence responses’ based on her recent publication in Policing and Society: An International Journal of Research and Policy.

Dr Iliadis will discuss the significant investment by Australian police agencies in the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs). Preliminary evidence suggests that when used in the context of domestic and family violence, BWC footage may strengthen evidential cases and prosecutions. There is, however, a paucity of research examining the merits of, and risks posed by the use of BWC footage in domestic and family violence incidents and legal proceedings.

Notably absent in much of the literature are the views and experiences of police officers who, as initial owners of BWC footage, are likely to affect how it is produced and interpreted. 

Her work is the first Australian study to examine how police officers, as users and operators of BWC technology, perceive the use of BWC footage in DFV-related civil and criminal legal proceedings in two Australian state jurisdictions: Western Australia and Queensland. The findings highlight the importance of exercising domain-specific, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to understanding the benefits and limitations of BWC technology.

Join us in person at the Violence & Society Centre in the Rhind building on City campus from 10:30 am – noon or online. If in person, please note this seminar was originally in A01 College Building but is now in the Violence and Society Centre, 1st floor, Rhind Building.

Booking is required. Please email VISION_Management_Team@city.ac.uk and state whether you will be in person or online. A link will be emailed on the day to those attending online. Light refreshments will be served afterwards for those in person.

Policing Domestic Abuse hybrid seminar

Wednesday 1 March 2023, 10:30 am – Noon, in person and online

Hybrid event – Policing Domestic Abuse | Faculty of Law (ox.ac.uk)

Dr Ruth Weir, Senior Research Fellow with the UKPRP VISION consortium, will be presenting with her colleagues, Chief Superintendent Katy Barrow-Grint (Thames Valley Police), Professor Jackie Turton (University of Essex) and Dr Jackie Sebire (Institute of Criminology), on their book, Policing Domestic Abuse.

The book is dedicated to improving the practice of the policing of domestic abuse. Its objective is to help inform those working in policing about the dynamics of how domestic abuse occurs, how best to respond to and investigate it, and in the longer term how to prevent it. An effective investigation and the prosecution of offenders are considered, as well as an evaluation of the success of current treatment options. Policing domestic abuse can only be dealt with through an effective partnership response. The responsibilities of each agency and the statutory processes in place when policy is not adhered will also be outlined. The aim is to help shed light on the challenges of policing domestic violence and the links between academic research and best practice.

Understanding neighbourhood level predictors of domestic abuse and their variation over space

Reducing domestic abuse has become a priority for both local and national governments in the UK, with its substantial human, social, and economic costs. It is an interdisciplinary issue, but to date there has been no research in the UK that has focused on neighbourhood-level predictors of domestic abuse and their variation across space.

This article uses geographically weighted regression to model the predictors of police-reported domestic abuse in Essex. Readily available structural and cultural variables were found to predict the domestic abuse rate and the repeat victimisation rate at the lower super output area level and the model coefficients were all found to be non-stationary, indicating varying relationships across space. This research not only has important implications for victims’ well being, but also enables policy makers to gain a better understanding of the geography of victimisation, allowing targeted policy interventions and efficiently allocated resources.

For further information and the article, please see Using geographically weighted regression to explore neighborhood‐level predictors of domestic abuse in the UK – Weir – 2019 – Transactions in GIS – Wiley Online Library

Photo caption: Andrii Yalanskyi /Shutterstock.com

Book launch for new publication aimed at improving police responses to domestic abuse

How to respond and investigate domestic violence

On 15 November 2022, City, University of London hosted a book launch for Policing Domestic Violence, written by Katy Barrow Grint, Thames Valley Police; Dr Jacqueline Sebire, Cambridge University; Professor Jackie Turton, University of Essex; and Dr Ruth Weir, City, University of London. The event, held in The Pavilion, was attended by local police forces including the Metropolitan Police and Thames Valley Police as well as academics researching domestic violence. The keynote speakers were Louisa Rolfe, OBE, Assistant Commissioner of the Met, and Nicole Jacobs, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner.

The book, Policing Domestic Violence, is dedicated to improving the practice of the policing of domestic abuse. Its objective is to help inform those working in policing about the dynamics of how domestic abuse occurs, how best to respond to and investigate it, and in the longer term how to prevent it. Divided into thematic areas, the book uses recent research findings to update some of the theoretical analysis and to highlight areas of good practice: ‘what works and why’. An effective investigation and the prosecution of offenders are considered, as well as an evaluation of the success of current treatment options. Policing domestic abuse can only be dealt with through an effective partnership response. The responsibilities of each agency and the statutory processes in place when policy is not adhered to are outlined.

Written with the student and budding practitioner in mind, this book is filled with case studies, current research, reports, and media examples, as well as a variety of reflective questions and a glossary of key terms, to help shed light on the challenges of policing domestic violence and the links between academic research and best practice.

Photo caption: from left to right – Dr Ruth Weir, City University; Dr Jackie Turton, University of Essex; Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner; Louisa Rolfe, OBE, Assistant Commissioner at the Metropolitan Police; and Katy Barrow Grint, Thames Valley Police