Orders to go

OLDHAM Police will today be given new powers to protect victims of domestic abuse by banning violent partners from the family home.

The borough has been chosen to run a 12-month pilot scheme that aims to give victims the time, space and support to plan a safer future by keeping the perpetrator away.

Senior officers say the powers will help save lives and will be rolled out across Greater Manchester, and potentially the country, if they prove to be a success.

The Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPO) – also known as “go orders” — allow senior police officers to instantly intervene where they are worried about violent behaviour within a household but do not have enough evidence to bring a criminal charge.

Under the present law, only those arrested and charged with an offence can be barred from their home, either through bail conditions or a civil court order.

The new measures will give police the power to ban violent abusers from their homes for between 14 and 28 days, allowing the victims to stay rather than flee to a friend’s home or a refuge. The offender can appeal against the order through the courts but if they breach an order they can be jailed.

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney said: “We attend 65,000 to 70,000 incidents of domestic abuse every year. There are a number of cases where reported incidents have taken place that have ended in homicide. If it protects one victim it’s worth doing.

“Everyone has a right to feel safe in in their homes and have a future without fear and these new powers will help save lives by reducing harm within the home. Nationally two women a week die due to domestic abuse and our aim is to reduce the harm caused by domestic abuse and help victims regain control of their lives and move forwards to secure a safer, happier future.

“Victims tell us ‘I want to get my life together and back in control and need some space to do that’ and that’s what this will give them. It’s the immediacy that’s the really exciting part. The home is then a safe haven for a victim and the family. This gives you 14 days to plan with services how to live the rest of your life.”

Evidence is collected in the same way as a criminal prosecution but the burden of proof is less to obtain a DVPO.

Oldham Council, Victim Support, Probation and health services will offer help and advice and a longer-term injunction can be secured. Abusers will also be given the chance to attend an offenders programme to stop abusive behaviour and prevent any future incidents.

ACC Sweeney added: “Oldham Partnership is very strong in protecting victims of crime and a valuable player. Public protection in Oldham have a good record of implementing new initiatives. It’s an opportunity to protect the people of Oldham that we have not had before. I think it’s a real opportunity to try something different, to get involved in victim’s lives at an earlier stage and engage with partnerships.”

One domestic abuse victim of 30 years said: “I was confused, traumatised and worn down by the drip-by-drip process of abuse over years. The new orders acknowledge the complexity and seriousness of domestic abuse. From my experience, it is unlikely that the ‘first reported offence’ is the first, and even if it is, without appropriate intervention, it won’t be the last. If things had been different years ago, I might not have spent years in purgatory believing the fault was mine.”