Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster met Derby North MP Amanda Solloway today (24 February) as part of a joint push to improve the safety of women and girls.
Commissioner Angelique Foster highlighted the additional resources she has provided through her budget to increase women’s safety and ensure the force has the specialist officers it needs to investigate domestic and sexual violence effectively.
Welcoming the improvements, Amanda Solloway pledged to work closely with the Commissioner in a move that will help women and girls across Derby and Derbyshire, as well as her own constituents.
The meeting was arranged after a domestic incident in Littleover led to the victim sustaining fatal injuries. It is part of a wider strategy to coordinate work between local partners to improve the response provided to victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
Tackling violence against women and girls and the provision of tailored support for victims feature strongly as part of the Safeguarding priority in the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan.
The Commissioner recently announced the creation of a Stalking Co-ordinator post in response to an increase in reported incidents. The new role has been developed to ensure a consistently high quality of investigation across the force and to increase support for victims of stalking and harassment.
Her budget also funds the force’s new Domestic Abuse Review Team (DART). Formed in November 2021, this new team ensures that after reviewing domestic abuse cases, appropriate safeguarding measures can be put in place for vulnerable victims of abuse.
Other service improvements enabled by the budget include additional night-time patrols and a tough focus on offender management to tackle violence against women and girls.
“I am pleased that Amanda supports my plans and shares my commitment to prevent violence against women and girls in Derby and beyond,” she said. “We will be working closely together in the future.
“Eradicating violence cannot be solved by one agency alone. It is vital we coordinate our response to deliver the services and support victims of harassment and violence deserve and bring more offenders to justice.”
Amanda Solloway added: “Tackling domestic abuse and violence against women and girls are top priorities and I am pleased the Commissioner has invested additional resources. This includes the new Stalking Co-ordinator and the DART team, that will improve our local response to these all too prevalent issues.
“I look forward to working together, highlighting issues and identifying ways in which the response can be boosted.
“Recent cases have reminded us all of the necessity of increasing the safety of women and girls on our streets and supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Violence and abuse have a devastating emotional and psychological impact and I will continue to work in Derby North to bring these issues to the forefront.”
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