NORTH Yorkshire Police are leading a ground-breaking project to deliver a radical improvement in the policing service delivered to survivors of domestic abuse.

Over the last year the force has been working collaboratively as part of Project Shield, a multi-agency pilot scheme aimed at preventing harm by delivering an improved service around the enforcement of non-molestation orders (NMO).

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NMOs are protective orders that victims can obtain through the civil courts to prote themselves and their families by preventing any contact or communication from their abusers.

The protection they provide relies heavily on the effective transfer of information between courts and police forces across the UK, so that breaches of the order can be identified and enforced.

Project Shield developed a new approach to ensuring vital information about the existence and conditions of victims’ NMOs granted by the courts was easily accessible to safeguarding professionals and police officers.

The pilot has enabled officers to identify potential risk to victims earlier, allowing more time for critical safeguarding measures to be put in place.

The project is a result of a collaboration between North Yorkshire Police domestic abuse charity IDAS, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), Edge Hill University and CGI, the global IT and business consulting company.

At a seminar held recently at Edge Hill University, key stakeholders and decision makers heard how Project Shield team could be upscaled and rolled out nationally, so that all police forces and safeguarding agencies could experience the same benefits.

Vitally, they also heard how the national adoption of Project Shield could deliver a better level of service and safety to those who are most at risk of harm – the victims and survivors of abuse.

Speaking about the force’s involvement in the pilot, Chief Constable Lisa Winward said “We are incredibly privileged to have been involved in Project Shield and to have had the opportunity to work along such dedicated partners, to better protect victims of domestic abuse.

“The new ways of working identified by Project Shield have enabled us to respond more effectively when victims report breaches of their non-molestation order to us. Vitally it’s also allowed us to take early and decisive safeguarding action to prevent harm from occurring.

“We deal with victims of domestic abuse every single day and it’s essential that when they call us for help, we deliver an exemplary service to them, to help them feel safer.

"But ideally, I want us to be in the position to act before that call for service needs to be made.

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"By having that vital information about their non-molestation orders at our fingertips, our Safeguarding Team can take action to prevent harm. If someone is harmed, they carry that experience and fear with them forever.

"We want to be part of the solution that prevents them from ever experiencing that fear and Project Shield will enable us to do just that.

“I’d like to thank our safeguarding team and all the partners involved for their passion, hard work and determination in making Project Shield such a resounding success.

"It’s so encouraging to share the work of the team with partners and key stakeholders who all have the shared endeavour to prevent future harm and make the system work better for victims of domestic abuse.”

 

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