Officers made 66 arrests over the period, more than two each week, and issued 13 new domestic abuse protection notices – short-term measures that can prevent alleged offenders from contacting victims or visiting their homes for up to 72 hours, allowing enough time for a court hearing to take place.
They also secured 11 domestic abuse protection orders, longer-term protections that prevent offenders from contacting victims or visiting their homes alongside any court orders.
These orders can restrict contact for up to two years, compared to the 28-day limit in place in the UK. Breaches are a criminal offence which can attract a prison sentence and two people have been convicted for breaches of these orders.
Police said that the new measures were making a difference as it continues to develop the way it tackled domestic abuse.
‘This legislation has given us the ability to step in earlier and with far greater impact. It reflects best practice from the UK but goes even further in key areas, allowing us to offer stronger, longer-lasting protection to those who need it most,’ said Superintendent Liam Johnson.
‘Ensuring our response to domestic abuse is as good as it can be is a priority for Guernsey Police, and we must continue to work on it.
‘The new powers have brought significant improvements, but we do not want to be complacent and so continue to dedicate resources to improvement and self-evaluation.’
Police said that the new powers allow officers to intervene early in all areas of domestic abuse, including coercive control and non-physical abuse, which are also now recognised as crimes, protect those at risk and hold perpetrators to account, while focusing on supporting victims first.
Pre-charge bail conditions, even before a case goes to court, continue to play a crucial role in keeping victims safe from further harm, including stalking and harassment.
Where bail conditions end, DAPNs can be used to maintain protection until a DAPO court hearing.
Frontline police officers work collaboratively with colleagues in the public protection unit and offender management unit to enforce the protection orders, and are also working with probation and the domestic abuse charity Safer.
‘For the first time, all forms of domestic abuse, including coercive and controlling behaviour, are recognised clearly in law,’ said Detective Inspector Nicole Thomas from the Public Protection Unit.
‘That means we can act more decisively, put safeguards in place sooner, and support victims even when a case hasn’t yet reached the courts.
‘Domestic abuse can have very long-lasting impacts on survivors, and offenders can often go on to repeat their crimes against different people.
‘It is so critical that we can offer proper support to people who are victims of these crimes, and properly tackle offenders, and put them before the courts.’
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.