Policing vulnerability: attrition, rape and domestic violence

Over recent years the police have experienced an increase in historical reports of sexual abuse and, as a result of the widening definition of domestic violence (to include coercive control), the demand on the police regarding vulnerable victims is increasing. As a result of this rise, the police are having to manage a range of multifaceted needs amongst victims of sexual and domestic violence. This is juxtaposed with a reduction in both financial and human resources to the police and in December 2015, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary reported that almost three-quarters of police forces in England and Wales were letting vulnerable victims down (HMIC, 2015). This chapter explores how such complexities interact with each other at differing points of the policing process and by exploring the evidence base offers an insight for officers to consider the effect such factors have on the investigation of cases and the subsequent impact on the delivery of justice.