PCC celebrates improvements to protect women and girls from violence as she marks International Women’s Day

Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts addressed retail leaders on the steps being taken to empower women’s safety in Derbyshire as the nation marked International Women's Day held on 8th March.

Under this year’s theme of Accelerating Action, the Derbyshire PCC highlighted the progress being made to tackle the national epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and encouraged all women to use their voice for change locally. 

The Commissioner spoke at Central Co-operative’s Women’s Voices event to mark the global day which celebrates the social, cultural and political achievements of women and marks a call to action to accelerate women’s equality. 

Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts reminded her audience of some of the sobering facts of VAWG; that in the UK, a woman is killed by a man every 2.7 days; that almost one in three women aged 16-59 will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime and that one in four women in England and Wales have been raped or sexually assaulted as an adult. 

The PCC highlighted recent national proposals that would accelerate protection for women including the introduction of a new standalone criminal offence for spiking, the placement of domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms, the launch of a National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection and legislation to strengthen Stalking Protection Orders with new ‘Right to Know’ statutory guidance to empower police to release the identity of an online stalker at the earliest opportunity. 

In highlighting the pioneering work being undertaken locally to protect women from violence, the Commissioner talked about how she had acted on public concerns by prioritising Serious Violence including VAWG in her first Police and Crime Plan and how she is working closely with partners to bring an end to VAWG through the 16 Days of Action campaign and other initiatives. 

The PCC recently unveiled a new guide to help victims of sexual violence in Derbyshire access swift support and has supported the high profile Call it Out campaign which encourages people to have the confidence to challenge misogynistic or inappropriate behaviour towards women when they see it. 

Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts said: “Violence against women and girls is a national emergency requiring specialist resources and a heightened response. I am pleased with recent proposals from the Government that will, if approved by Parliament, ensure opportunities are not missed to protect more women who are at serious risk of harm. 

“It is imperative we accelerate action to prevent more young girls and women suffering at the hands of abusers. I am working with partners across many sectors to drive forward the improvements necessary to identify and bring to justice perpetrators of these disgusting crimes and provide victims and survivors with the support and service they deserve. 

“As Commissioner, I work on behalf of the public and have vowed to put our people first in everything I do. As we mark this national awareness day, I would urge all women to continue using their voice locally to fight for change. The steps I take to respond to VAWG will continue to be driven by the people I serve and by speaking out, you can set the course. This is the best way of securing change that is meaningful and will help improve lives.”

Alongside discussing VAWG, the Commissioner used her speech to update the audience of key national changes to tackle retail crime. 

The proposals, outlined in the Crime and Policing Bill currently making its way through Parliament, include the creation of a new offence for assaulting a retail worker.  The Commissioner pointed out that this issue is heavily weighted towards women and girls while she feels that in order to see real change it needs to be championed by men and boys. 

The PCC shared recent successes locally including increasing detection rates by the Retail Crime Team in its first six months and the existence of a Retail Crime Strategy which aligns with the national plan to drive down retail crime in Derbyshire.