At the beginning of the year I talked about domestic abuse and how it affects all corners of society.

I made reference to the ‘No Way Out’ cycle that victims can often find themselves in, putting up with the abuse, which many perpetrators rely upon to continue to physically and mentally control and abuse victims.

I also gave you an update on how I restructured my departments creating a dedicated community safety unit with 30 detectives and that I was trialling new technology to record evidence by way of head cameras to build evidence, support victims and bring offenders to justice.

This week I would like to revisit this and update you on the position one year on.

This year has seen more perpetrators sanctioned for Domestic Abuse offences than we have seen in previous years particularly around violence. The new unit of dedicated officers and the cameras that I mentioned have contributed to this improvement which has placed Brent Borough as one of the better performing boroughs for domestic crime.

However, I recognise that this is not enough and I will continue to look for new ways of improving our service and stamping out domestic abuse.

In the forthcoming months my staff will be working with partners to hold focus groups for victims of domestic abuse to better understand the barriers and improve the journey through the criminal justice system. Through these groups we will get a better understanding of what else can be done to encourage more victims to come forward. I recognise this crime type is underreported for a variety of reasons and more needs to be done to support and give victims the confidence to come forward.

I will continue my relentless pursuit against perpetrators of domestic abuse, and increase the number of coordinated heightened activity days to arrest and convict offenders. There have been a number of prosecutions that my staff have progressed against perpetrators of domestic abuse without the support of the victim. They are referred to as ‘victimless prosecutions’. We will continue to pursue these wherever possible.

I would like to end by reminding you in the words of one victim of domestic abuse who found their way out of a turbulent relationship.

”There is no longer no way out, there are many ways , take life with both hands grab it , hold it run with it, never look back do not linger on what has happened concentrate on what is about to happen”

Contact Brent Police community safety unit and partners who will provide you with the support and guidance that you need.

Do not suffer in silence.