PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Domestic Abuse (13 July 2015)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans for the powers to make coercive control in a domestic setting contained in the Serious Crime Act 2015 to come into effect.

Asked by:
Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru)

The Home Secretary has established and chairs a National Oversight Group to monitor and drive delivery against the recommendations of HMIC’s report into domestic abuse published in March 2014. As part of the Group's work, the College of Policing, in partnership with voluntary sector organisations, has developed a rigorous training package, which has been piloted in Hertfordshire police with up to 1,000 officers trained.

The Home Office is working with the College and police forces to support the wider roll-out of training across forces, including new components on coercive control. We are also working with the National Policing Lead and the College to ensure best practice from force training packages on coercive control is fed into the development of national training packages and guidance as appropriate.

We are committed to implementing the new offence of domestic abuse as soon as possible. We have always been clear that implementation must be supported by proper training and guidance for frontline agencies. We are working with the College of Policing and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure these agencies are confident they know how to use the new offence to provide the best possible protection to victims. We will aim to announce commencement in due course.

The National Oversight Group will continue to monitor the roll-out of the training around domestic abuse, and drive progress against all of HMIC’s recommendations.

Answered by:
Sir Mike Penning (Conservative)
16 July 2015