A specific consideration that every lawful option is examined to determine whether the earlier release of those responsible for PC Andrew Harper's death can be prevented

To establish an additional public protection safeguard in cases involving the most serious offenders whenever future changes to sentencing or release arrangements are considered. Where an offender has caused a death, committed exceptionally serious violence, or presents an ongoing risk to individuals or communities, there should be explicit consideration of public protection, victim impact and community safety before release arrangements are amended

That victims and bereaved families must be properly considered whenever significant changes are made to sentencing or release arrangements.

Continued to strengthen our commitment to ensuring our approach firmly centres on the voices and lived experiences of victims. In 2024, a coalition called Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) was established in Wiltshire comprising of members of the public, members of the judiciary, police, representatives from domestic abuse organisations, and business leaders. I sit on this coalition and Deputy Chief Constable Mark Cooper is now a formal ally of the group and supporting one of dedicated workstreams to positively influence male behaviours, focussing on early education and deterrence.

We now have 75 DA Matters Champions, who are trained to support colleagues in understanding perpetrator tactics, that DA can happen in all relationships and the controlling nature of economic abuse

We are receiving a 30% increase in the number of applications made to us under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS), known as ‘Clare’s Law’, and have increased staffing and improved processes to ensure we reply within the statutory 28-day deadline

We have strengthened our approach to protective orders – we are seeing around 100 requests for Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) per year

In February, I was joined by our tactical VAWG lead Detective Chief Inspector Claire Smith for a Facebook Live event focused on our approach to VAWG – taking questions from our communities and giving out advice and guidance

We have run two dedicated internal campaigns to our officers and staff providing bite-sized learning, face-to-face support and tailored communications to strengthen frontline responses to domestic abuse and wider VAWG offending

Enhanced partnership working with the CPS to improve victim support and case progression, including use of the Priority Green Charging Scheme for high-risk domestic abuse cases. This scheme seeks to speed up justice for victims, focusing on those that are at the highest risk by streamlining the charging process. Where qualifying cases are submitted within 70 days of the initial report, the CPS will make a charging decision within 10 days. This marks a significant improvement in the speed at which these cases can progress through the criminal justice system and is a positive step forward for some of our most vulnerable victims

We have also participated in the CPS Victim Transformation Programme. This is where the CPS will directly contact victims in cases where they have made the charging decision. Victims will be contacted through their preferred method and provided with information about charging decisions, the CPS role, what to expect next and their rights under the Victims' Code

Project Vigilant continues to gain national and international recognition, with Swedish police officers visiting Wiltshire earlier this year to learn from our approach and observe a live deployment focused on disrupting potential sexual offending in the night-time economy

Dedicated stalking clinics have been introduced inside our organisation, giving investigators access to specialist advice on online stalking, digital evidence and safeguarding opportunities

We ran a public campaign raising awareness of domestic abuse throughout the World Cup tournament. In the hours directly before and after each England match, we received a 33% increase in logs related to domestic abuse compared to the same period in 2025 – from 46 in 2025 to 61 in 2026. We believe that this indicates that victims are feeling more confident to reach out to us

In the last month, we have seen several successful domestic abuse convictions which I hope will illustrate our commitment to bringing offenders to justice. These have included:

The introduction of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders. These orders prohibit the abuser from doing certain things for a period of time such as communicating with and contacting the victim, harassing, threatening and approaching them, and posting things on social media. DAPOs are the first protective orders available through civil and criminal court proceedings. More information and support can be found on the National Centre for Domestic Violence website.

Working collaboratively with the EVAWG Coalition, we are currently running a 12-month pilot perpetrator programme which involves having a third sector charity worker operating within our custody environment specifically with those arrested for DA offences. The purpose of this pilot is to prevent further VAWG offending and reduce repeat victims

A dedicated Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Team will launch in early 2027, strengthening our specialist investigative capacity and victim support from initial report through to conclusion of the criminal process. This new RASSO model will help improve investigative quality, identify safeguarding opportunities earlier, strengthen partnership working across the criminal justice system and reduce avoidable delays.