- News & Comment
-
Online Shop
Online Services
Looseleafs
Law Reports
Books and eBooks
-
CPD & Events
Webinars
- Authors
- About Family Law
- Contact
At least one in five police-recorded crimes relates to public protection threats, including domestic abuse, sexual offending and child-on-child abuse, according to the first Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment published by the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP).
The assessment provides what the NCVPP describes as the most comprehensive national picture to date of threats facing women, girls and children across England and Wales. It draws on data, operational experience and contributions from partner organisations to identify emerging risks and inform policing priorities.
The report highlights the extent to which violence against women and girls contributes to police demand, while warning that recorded crime figures capture only part of the problem. Many incidents never reach the police, particularly abuse committed online, meaning the true scale of harm is likely to be significantly greater than the available data indicates.
The assessment identifies five critical threat areas: domestic abuse, repeat perpetrators, public-space sexual offending, image-based abuse and child-on-child abuse. Although each presents distinct challenges, the report identifies common themes of vulnerability, exploitation and repeat offending.
Technology is also reshaping the threat landscape, with advances in artificial intelligence, the growth of image-based abuse and the increasing influence of online misogyny creating new opportunities for perpetrators to offend, exploit and control victims. These developments are also presenting police with more complex investigations and safeguarding challenges.
Helen Millichap, director of the NCVPP, said the assessment sought to understand both the harm visible in police data and that which remained hidden.
“Behind every statistic in this STRA is a victim, survivor or family whose life has been affected by violence, abuse or exploitation,” she said.
She added that women, girls and children experienced harm in their homes, communities and online.
The report also highlights progress in tackling violence against women and girls, including Operation Soteria, which it identifies as an example of what can be achieved through evidence-led practice, operational expertise and partnership working.
The NCVPP intends to build on this work to develop a more consistent, evidence-led and preventative approach across policing.
However, the assessment stresses that police cannot address the threats in isolation. It calls for a whole-system response involving criminal justice, safeguarding, education and health partners, alongside greater accountability from industry and technology companies in protecting victims and tackling perpetrators.
The findings will inform strategic priorities across policing, shape the NCVPP’s future work and strengthen the evidence base for tackling violence against women and girls and wider public protection threats.
