As police carry out dawn raids on known perpetrators
A play entitled “Why doesn’t she just leave?” became the centrepiece of a campaign to highlight the agony suffered by hundreds of women across the borough every year who are subjected to domestic violence and preceeded a series of dawn raids on perpetrators of domestic, race hate and homophobic crimes.
Commander Steve Allen, head of Violent Crime Directorate said "In the run up to the festive season where historically we have seen a rise in such cases, we need to get the message across that this type of crime will not be tolerated and you do not need to suffer in silence. These
crimes
may be affecting someone in your family, or one of your friends, and we
want
to encourage victims to come forward and know that we will deal with the
perpetrators."
The number of domestic violence incidents reported to police in 2005/06
was
over 108,000, with 24% of incidents accounting for all reported violence
and 20% of all murders in the capital.
"The MPS take all allegations of these type of crimes very seriously, and have in place strident steps to tackle it. Each borough has a Community Safety Unit consisting of specially trained officers who investigate the crimes and provide support to the victims."
A borough wide campaign entitled “No Violence against Hounslow Women” was timed to coincide with “16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence”, an international event that raises awareness, and generates new work around this issue.
Residents concerned about domestic violence can call the following numbers for help, advice or support :
November 30, 2006