HAMPSHIRE Police have been criticised by a watchdog after cases where they

dealt with some domestic violence and abuse victims over the phone rather than

officers paying a visit came to light.

The force has been told it must improve in a report written by Her Majesty’s

Inspectorate of Constabulary, although the criticisms over domestic

abuse spoiled what would have been an otherwise satisfactory report.

The inspectorate’s latest reports, which were published this week, stated:

“Hampshire Constabulary would have been assessed as good in this inspection were it not for a significant weakness in the practice it has recently adopted of routinely assessing the risk to some victims of domestic abuse over the telephone through its new resolution centre.

“Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary has carefully reviewed this practice and notified the constabulary of our concern that the risk to vulnerable people may not be fully assessed through this method.”

The report’s authors added that formal domestic abuse risk assessments are

sometimes being completed over the telephone without an officer seeing the victim in person.

But Chief Constable Andy Marsh, who announced last week he is quitting the job in the new year to move back to his family home in Avon & Somerset, said his force could “take many positives from this report”.

He said: “It shows the hard work that is going in toprotect the most vulnerable

in society, including praise for our approach on child sexual exploitation and

missing people.

“As the report acknowledges, were it not for one specific issue the graded

would have been ‘good’.

“We are disappointed the overall grading has been determined by just one

issue. But we would like to reassure the public that we are not aware of anyone

being a victim as a result, and we have already started the review that has been recommended.”

Mr Marsh added: “I want to reassure anyone experiencing domestic abuse that

our first priority is their safety. We have a strong track record in this area and

I would encourage anyone to come forward and report it to us.”

In a partnership with the Hampton Trust, Hampshire Constabulary runs project

CARA, which seeks more effective ways to stop abusers by working closely

with victims.

It is supported by Hampshire Police and Crime commissioner Simon Hayes, who has made reducing domestic violence one of his priorities, and was honoured at the recent Domestic Abuse Champions National Awards.

Mr Hayes said: “I am pleased to hear Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary has commended Hampshire Constabulary for increasing resources and innovating to keep the most vulnerable people in our communities safe.

“In these times of austerity, innovation in how we support victims of crime is

essential to ensure that we deliver the most effective services with our available

resources.

“Project CARA has recently won awards for its ground-breaking approach to domestic abuse victims and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary are interested to see the project’s long-term results in reducing reoffending.

“I acknowledge the concerns of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary through the use of the resolution centre and assessments conducted over the telephone.

“However, I strongly feel the highly-trained staff and the supervisory oversight

mitigates any risks perceived in this report.”

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary carries out annual inspections of all

constabularies, looking at police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy, and

heavily criticised Surrey Police this week for serious failings in child protection

and domestic abuse cases.

The watchdog assesses how well forces keep people safe and reduce crime. A

review will take place, with the national police, working with victim and survivor

groups.