This project was designed to investigate how the police
responded to the anticipated rise in domestic abuse during
the lockdown period and how the courts would deliver justice
to victims once they reopened. Questionnaires were sent to
all the 43 police forces in England and Wales (25 returned)
and interviews were conducted with Domestic Abuse Leads
from 20 geographically dispersed forces of different sizes.
Deeper data dives were done in five force areas and these
included interviews with Police and Crime Commissioners,
Chief Officers of various ranks, and those working in Witness
Care Units. Representatives of the Bar Council and the
Magistrates Association, Shadow Ministers/ Ministers with
relevant portfolios, and policy officers for the Office of the
Commissioner of Domestic Abuse were interviewed about the
difficulties of policing, and securing speedy justice for victims
of domestic abuse. A statistical analysis of receipts (cases sent
to the courts), hearings, and disposals in court cases between
October 2019 to May 2021 was carried out using reports from
the Crown Prosecution service (CPS), Her Majesty’s Courts and
Tribunal Service (HMCTS), Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution
Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), the Ministry of Justice (MoJ),
and reports from NGOs. Finally, a documentary analysis of
updates and communications from the government and
other agencies between March 2020 and August 2021 was
conducted, specifically regarding the court backlog and
projected recovery plans. (From the Executive summary). Record #7533