This report was commissioned by Colchester Borough Homes (CBH) and the University of Essex (UoE) ... more This report was commissioned by Colchester Borough Homes (CBH) and the University of Essex (UoE) HEFCE funded Catalyst Project to assist with the development of the CBH Community Plan. The Community Plan sets out to empower members of the community and CBH staff to recognise domestic abuse and to report suspicions to CBH. Having this information will not only enable early intervention but improve the capacity within the community. This report aims to provide a baseline from which CBH can plan their interventions and target their resources. A link has been identified between reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and domestic abuse, with 40 per cent of tenants who have suffered Domestic Abuse having had complaints made against them for Anti-Social Behaviour (CIH, 2018). With other research finding that people experience abuse for an average of three years before engaging with support services (Safelives, 2015), housing providers have found that they are ideally placed to identify dom...
Domestic abuse perpetration remains a major threat to public health, safety and wellbeing, causin... more Domestic abuse perpetration remains a major threat to public health, safety and wellbeing, causing serious harms and contributing significantly to overall crime globally. In the United Kingdom, research links the crime type to high economic and social costs. In the last 10 years, our collective knowledge of domestic abuse has grown in conjunction with its prioritisation in government policy. Several innovative studies have built a picture of the most serious cases and overall patterns of abuse but to date, examination of these trends by ethnic groups has been limited despite increasing attention to disproportionality in racially minoritised communities in criminal justice system outcomes. In this article we aimed to address this issue through the analysis of 150,000 domestic abuse records kept by police forces in England. Using descriptive statistics, we examined the relative distributions of different ethnicities by suspected offending rate, investigative outcome and crime harm. We...
In August 2018 Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) introduced Safe and Well visits to re... more In August 2018 Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) introduced Safe and Well visits to replace the previous home safety visits. The Safe and Well Visits were similar to the previous intervention, with key differences that officers could now offer assistive technology, home security advice and referrals to other support and guidance. The University of Essex have been assisting ECFRS to evaluate the new Safe and Well Visits. This report analyses feedback collected regarding the new visits, the process of evaluation and the impact on the number of Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADFs). Analysis of the first five months of Safe and Well was carried out in February 2019. From January 2019 onwards, a new recording method was introduced, whereby feedback forms were entered directly onto monthly downloads from CRM. This report therefore analyses all of the feedback that has been returned since this new recording scheme was introduced. The report aims to: • Measure the impact of the Safe ...
The present research examines a structural model of violent crime in Portland, Oregon, exploring ... more The present research examines a structural model of violent crime in Portland, Oregon, exploring spatial patterns of both crime and its covariates. Using standard structural measures drawn from an opportunity framework, the study provides results from a global ordinary least squares model, assumed to fit for all locations within the study area. Geographically weighted regression (GWR) is then introduced as an alternative to such traditional approaches to modeling crime. The GWR procedure estimates a local model, producing a set of mappable parameter estimates and t-values of significance that vary over space. Several structural measures are found to have relationships with crime that vary significantly with location. Results indicate that a mixed model— with both spatially varying and fixed parameters—may provide the most accurate model of crime. The present study demonstrates the utility of GWR for exploring local processes that drive crime levels and examining misspecification of ...
Victims of honour‐based violence/abuse (HBV/A), forced marriage (FM), and female genital mutilati... more Victims of honour‐based violence/abuse (HBV/A), forced marriage (FM), and female genital mutilation (FGM) are now defined as ‘priority groups’ in the UK's Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (commonly known as the Victims’ Code of Practice or VCOP). These groups encompass: those who are affected by the most serious forms of crime; those persistently targeted by crime; those vulnerable by age or physical or mental health; and those classified as intimidated victims. The Code recommends that these victims receive a ‘priority service’ that includes rapid needs assessment and enhanced support. This article draws upon research commissioned by a county police force in southern England which wanted to develop its provision for ‘priority service’ victims. It analyses data gathered from interviews with victims and multi‐agency practitioners and explores four dimensions of victim and practitioner experience: recording and locating victims; initiating a case; modes of protecting victims; and closing a case. It also discusses future directions and challenges for priority victim work in England and elsewhere, and identifies the many challenges experienced by practitioners working to support the victims of HBV/A, FM, and FGM. It argues that the voices of both victims and practitioners must be considered in the co‐creation of future priority services in this field.
The human and economic cost of domestic abuse is enormous. In the UK two women a week are dying a... more The human and economic cost of domestic abuse is enormous. In the UK two women a week are dying as a result of their abuse and the cost to society and the economy is estimated to be in the region of £66 billion pounds a year. Having the ability to predict those most at risk is essential in identifying victims’ earlier, reducing harm and improving access to support and justice. Domestic abuse is also one of the most under-reported crimes, with the Crime Survey in England and Wales (CSEW) estimating that only 21 per cent of abuse is reported to the police. One of the implications of this is that current service responses are broadly designed around the needs of these known victims, even though they only account for one fifth of the likely total. This quantitative research adopts a multi-facated approach, using statistical analysis and geographical information systems, combined with social and geographical theory, to identify the risk factors and predictors of domestic abuse at the ind...
This report was commissioned by Colchester Borough Homes (CBH) and the University of Essex (UoE) ... more This report was commissioned by Colchester Borough Homes (CBH) and the University of Essex (UoE) HEFCE funded Catalyst Project to assist with the development of the CBH Community Plan. The Community Plan sets out to empower members of the community and CBH staff to recognise domestic abuse and to report suspicions to CBH. Having this information will not only enable early intervention but improve the capacity within the community. This report aims to provide a baseline from which CBH can plan their interventions and target their resources. A link has been identified between reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and domestic abuse, with 40 per cent of tenants who have suffered Domestic Abuse having had complaints made against them for Anti-Social Behaviour (CIH, 2018). With other research finding that people experience abuse for an average of three years before engaging with support services (Safelives, 2015), housing providers have found that they are ideally placed to identify dom...
Domestic abuse perpetration remains a major threat to public health, safety and wellbeing, causin... more Domestic abuse perpetration remains a major threat to public health, safety and wellbeing, causing serious harms and contributing significantly to overall crime globally. In the United Kingdom, research links the crime type to high economic and social costs. In the last 10 years, our collective knowledge of domestic abuse has grown in conjunction with its prioritisation in government policy. Several innovative studies have built a picture of the most serious cases and overall patterns of abuse but to date, examination of these trends by ethnic groups has been limited despite increasing attention to disproportionality in racially minoritised communities in criminal justice system outcomes. In this article we aimed to address this issue through the analysis of 150,000 domestic abuse records kept by police forces in England. Using descriptive statistics, we examined the relative distributions of different ethnicities by suspected offending rate, investigative outcome and crime harm. We...
In August 2018 Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) introduced Safe and Well visits to re... more In August 2018 Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) introduced Safe and Well visits to replace the previous home safety visits. The Safe and Well Visits were similar to the previous intervention, with key differences that officers could now offer assistive technology, home security advice and referrals to other support and guidance. The University of Essex have been assisting ECFRS to evaluate the new Safe and Well Visits. This report analyses feedback collected regarding the new visits, the process of evaluation and the impact on the number of Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADFs). Analysis of the first five months of Safe and Well was carried out in February 2019. From January 2019 onwards, a new recording method was introduced, whereby feedback forms were entered directly onto monthly downloads from CRM. This report therefore analyses all of the feedback that has been returned since this new recording scheme was introduced. The report aims to: • Measure the impact of the Safe ...
The present research examines a structural model of violent crime in Portland, Oregon, exploring ... more The present research examines a structural model of violent crime in Portland, Oregon, exploring spatial patterns of both crime and its covariates. Using standard structural measures drawn from an opportunity framework, the study provides results from a global ordinary least squares model, assumed to fit for all locations within the study area. Geographically weighted regression (GWR) is then introduced as an alternative to such traditional approaches to modeling crime. The GWR procedure estimates a local model, producing a set of mappable parameter estimates and t-values of significance that vary over space. Several structural measures are found to have relationships with crime that vary significantly with location. Results indicate that a mixed model— with both spatially varying and fixed parameters—may provide the most accurate model of crime. The present study demonstrates the utility of GWR for exploring local processes that drive crime levels and examining misspecification of ...
Victims of honour‐based violence/abuse (HBV/A), forced marriage (FM), and female genital mutilati... more Victims of honour‐based violence/abuse (HBV/A), forced marriage (FM), and female genital mutilation (FGM) are now defined as ‘priority groups’ in the UK's Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (commonly known as the Victims’ Code of Practice or VCOP). These groups encompass: those who are affected by the most serious forms of crime; those persistently targeted by crime; those vulnerable by age or physical or mental health; and those classified as intimidated victims. The Code recommends that these victims receive a ‘priority service’ that includes rapid needs assessment and enhanced support. This article draws upon research commissioned by a county police force in southern England which wanted to develop its provision for ‘priority service’ victims. It analyses data gathered from interviews with victims and multi‐agency practitioners and explores four dimensions of victim and practitioner experience: recording and locating victims; initiating a case; modes of protecting victims; and closing a case. It also discusses future directions and challenges for priority victim work in England and elsewhere, and identifies the many challenges experienced by practitioners working to support the victims of HBV/A, FM, and FGM. It argues that the voices of both victims and practitioners must be considered in the co‐creation of future priority services in this field.
The human and economic cost of domestic abuse is enormous. In the UK two women a week are dying a... more The human and economic cost of domestic abuse is enormous. In the UK two women a week are dying as a result of their abuse and the cost to society and the economy is estimated to be in the region of £66 billion pounds a year. Having the ability to predict those most at risk is essential in identifying victims’ earlier, reducing harm and improving access to support and justice. Domestic abuse is also one of the most under-reported crimes, with the Crime Survey in England and Wales (CSEW) estimating that only 21 per cent of abuse is reported to the police. One of the implications of this is that current service responses are broadly designed around the needs of these known victims, even though they only account for one fifth of the likely total. This quantitative research adopts a multi-facated approach, using statistical analysis and geographical information systems, combined with social and geographical theory, to identify the risk factors and predictors of domestic abuse at the ind...
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