Domestic abuse victims receive Additional Support thanks to pilot project

More than 100 domestic abuse victims in Carmarthenshire have received additional support thanks to a pilot project using policing approach developed in counter terrorism.

We’ve been trialling the ‘four Ps’ method during contact with victims of medium risk graded domestic incidents, which has resulted in a quarter of victims choosing to benefit from enhanced safeguarding measures.

The approach sees officers working through four phases with the victim – prepare, protect, prevent and pursue – offering extra support ranging from reassurance phone calls and visits to patrol plans being put in place to those who accept the engagement.

Chief Inspector Steve Thomas said: “The four Ps policing method was developed in counter terrorism, so it might seem unusual to adopt this technique when working with victims of domestic abuse. However, the overall aim is to protect the victim from further harm and pursue the offender, which are both incredibly important elements in policing a crime type where sadly repeat offending is frequent.

“During the pilot, all victims of medium risk domestic-related incidents were given the option of engagement with an NPPT officer, who worked their way through the prepare, protect, prevent and pursue tactics.

“Within six months, 110 victims in just one division were provided with additional safeguarding and support. This means a quarter of the people affected by domestic abuse incidents graded as medium risk during this timeframe were able to be further protected.

“The new approach has had positive feedback from victims, who were grateful for the offer of additional engagement and support, and will be continued across the force.”