Local authorities to be able to apply for new orders as part of domestic abuse protection order pilot

From November, local authorities will be able to apply for new orders against domestic abusers that will include measures such as the imposition of electronic tagging, as part of Government measures set out to combat violence against women and girls.

The Government announced yesterday (19 September) that more domestic abusers will be ordered to stay away from their victims and face “tougher sanctions” if they fail to do so, through the launch of the new domestic abuse protection order pilot.

The pilot will build on powers police already have to legally order abusers to not make contact with or go within a certain distance of the victim.

However, the new orders will go further, with measures such as making it a legal requirement for perpetrators to inform the police of any change in name or address, imposing electronic tagging, and ordering assessments for behaviour change programmes. There will also be no maximum duration for these orders.

The orders will cover all forms of domestic abuse, including violence, stalking and controlling behaviour, and more agencies will be able to apply for them – including local authorities, family and civil courts, charities and social services.

The package of measures also includes a new requirement for domestic abuse specialists to be embedded in 999 control rooms, forming part of ‘Raneem’s Law’, in memory of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in 2018.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Victims of appalling domestic abuse need to know that the police will be there for them. Today’s measures are the start of this new government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

“Failure to understand the seriousness of domestic abuse costs lives and far too many have already been lost. That’s why introducing ‘Raneem’s Law’ in memory of Raneem and her mother Khaola is so vital – and has been a personal priority for me.

“Through an expert-led, practical police response, we need to ensure that when victims and survivors of abuse have the courage to come forward it will be treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves. Our mission is for the whole of government, agencies, organisations and communities to work together to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and today is just one step of many towards tangible and long-lasting change.”

Lottie Winson