Wiltshire Police train hundreds of staff to help tackle domestic abuse

As part of the programme, hundreds of police officers and staff from Wiltshire Police are being given enhanced training in understanding domestic abuse, how to spot it and the impact it has on its victims.

So far, more than a thousand people from the Force have attended the initial DA Matters inputs across the county. As well as the additional inputs, Wiltshire Police is identifying internal Champions to share learning and ensure the best possible service to victims as well as maximising investigative opportunities.

The programme aims to improve the Force’s response to domestic abuse by giving officers and staff a better understanding of coercive control, the impact domestic abuse has on victims and children, and the tactics used by perpetrators.

The Force is also working with Victim Support to introduce the concept of a trauma informed response to working practices. This is an approach to understanding mental distress and mental health which considers that a change in behaviour, thought, or emotion arises from past or current trauma.

Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police, Catherine Roper said: “DA Matters is being delivered as part of a wider change program which will fundamentally alter the way officers deal with domestic abuse.

“The initial training roll out will ensure all of our frontline officers and staff recognise the manipulative and sometimes subtle ways that offenders perpetrate this abuse. It will mean that officers and staff are better placed to tackle it, as well as ensuring sustainable improvements to how we deliver the best possible service to support victims.

“This work is a step towards ensuring we continually improve the service we offer, and we will continue to listen to the public to understand how else we can improve services to keep people safe.

“We encourage anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse to report to us – we will take the report of your crime very seriously and you can have confidence in us that it will be dealt with robustly.”

Pete Williams, SafeLives programme lead for DA Matters, said: “Since January 2023 we have been working in partnership with Wiltshire police to deliver DA Matters First Responder and Champions training across 76 sessions to officers and staff.

"Training delivery of this size is always a big undertaking but the Wiltshire project team were a pleasure to work with during the planning phase, an attitude that was maintained during the delivery itself when responding quickly to iron out the inevitable teething issues when using multiple venues.

"During each session my trainers have reported thoughtful and professional learners who interacted with them and engaged well with the programme content.

"I have nothing but good things to say about the way Wiltshire officers and staff have received us, and feedback I have received from the external observers who attended the sessions also matches my thoughts.

"What has made that experience even better is those officers who have reported back to us about how they have used the course learning to enhance service delivery to victims of Domestic Abuse including obtaining positive outcomes. This is gold dust for us and tangible evidence of change.

"As a retired officer myself I know that feedback sometimes tends to travel one way only, so wanted to take the time to express my thanks on behalf of SafeLives.”

If you are worried about someone who is a victim of domestic abuse or you want to report that you have been a victim please contact us on 101. In an emergency call 999.

You can also find out more about reporting domestic abuse on our website here: How to report domestic abuse | Wiltshire Police