Under new steps to be announced today by Priti Patel, domestic abuse and other sexual offenses will be taken as seriously as knife crimes.
The Home Secretary said it will mean ‘sickening’ acts of violence will be treated equally seriously.
A variety of agencies are expected to cooperate to address knife offences. However, they will also need to adopt similar measures to prevent domestic abuse or sex crime.
A government spokesman said adding the crimes to the so-called ‘Serious Violence Duty’ would help ‘prevent future crime and tragedy’.
New measures announced today by Priti Patel will treat domestic abuse and other sexual offenses as serious as knife crime. Image taken from a stock photo
Miss Patel said: ‘Any instance of violence towards another human being is sickening and it is incumbent upon all in authority to try to prevent it from occurring.
‘There are numerous public sector bodies and agencies with a responsibility to protect young and vulnerable people from harm – and they must get better at working together to deliver for them.’
These changes apply to police and government as well as health and education agencies. They will need to exchange information on domestic abuse and sex crime in order to safeguard people.
After a campaign led by Baroness Bertin, a Conservative peer, the reforms were implemented.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said ‘sickening’ acts of violence – domestic abuse and sexual offences – will be treated as seriously as knife crime
The Home Secretary said: ‘Following tireless work on this important issue by Baroness Bertin, I am bringing forward changes to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to make sure that domestic abuse and sexual offences – which do untold and often long-term damage to victims – can be included in local strategies for tackling serious violence.’
Domestic abuse commissioner Nicole Jacobs said the move ‘sends a very clear message to victims and survivors that tackling and preventing domestic abuse and sexual violence are top priorities and not optional extras’.
She added: ‘This amendment will ensure there is an early intervention, public health focused approach to tackling serious violent crime.’
This comes just as Crown Prosecution Service’s head stated that the Crown Prosecution Service should have more frequent powers to exempt members of the general public from courts during rape cases.
Max Hill, QC, Director of Public Prosecutions said that it would lead to stronger prosecutions because the victims wouldn’t be intimidated by the public gallery.
In England and Wales, the number of reported rapes jumped 10 percent to over 61,000 during the 12-month period to June. Only 1.4% of reported rapes resulted in a suspect being arrested or summonsed.