White Ribbon accredited City of London Police ask licensed premises to help reduce domestic violence

New data released today shows that 90 per cent of the domestic violence crimes committed in the City of London happen outside the home, in hotels, bars and on the street.

To mark the force becoming a White Ribbon Accredited organisation it is asking licenced premises to be extra vigilant and act if domestic violence takes place in their establishments.

Whilst both men and women may experience incidents of domestic violence and abuse, women are considerably more likely to experience repeated and severe forms of abuse, including sexual violence. Women are also more likely to have experienced sustained physical, psychological or emotional abuse, or violence which results in injury or death.

City of London Police is asking hotels, bars and other licenced premises to:

• Not ignore acts of violence or abuse. Call 101 or 999. Police will always attend reports of domestic violence. Call 101 or 999 in an emergency.
• Allocate a staff member to stay with the victim in a private area. Always believe the victim - Listen, reassure and try not to judge.
• Have a staff member allocated to meet with police and/or ambulance staff on arrival.
• Make a written record with as much detail, if the victim refuses to remain. This includes what was said, what was heard, descriptions, injuries etc.
• Secure CCTV.

White Ribbon UK is the leading charity engaging men and boys to stop violence before it starts through personal reflection and allyship with women and girls. This White Ribbon Day, they are asking individuals, especially men, to #ChangeTheStory for women and girls so that they may live their lives free from the fear of violence. To wear a White Ribbon is to promise to never commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women.

The force also recognises that it needs to help rebuild trust in policing and encourage more women to report sexual assaults, safe in the knowledge they will be believed and treated with dignity.

Temporary Commissioner, City of London Police, Pete O’Doherty said:

“The White Ribbon Accreditation shows our commitment to preventing violence by men against women and girls. We will relentlessly pursue offenders of all acts of violence against women and girls, create safer spaces and build trust and confidence in policing. 

“Our commitment stretches to educating our staff, partners and business community with what they can do to keep women safe and help us bring people to justice. Together, we can all help drive out male violence towards women and girls.”

To mark the White Ribbon Accreditation, Lady Mayoress Elisabeth Mainelli joined officers on a ‘Walk and Talk’ to talk about issues affecting women in the City. The ‘Walk and Talk’ scheme has been running for six months and invites women who live, work or visit the square mile to talk with a female officer about any concerns around safety.

City of London Police has joined together with awareness and safety campaign ‘Be Lads’, which provides practical advice to men on steps they can take to help women feel safer when walking at night

‘Be Lads’ stands for:

• Be visible
• Ease the tension by making a phone call
• Look away, don’t stare
• Active bystander
• Distance yourself
• Suggest walking your friend home

Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Police Authority Board, James Thomson said:

“As a White Ribbon Ambassador, the White Ribbon Accreditation of the City of London Police is hugely important to me.

“Both the City Police and the City Corporation are fully committed to tackling and preventing violence against women and girls - and we have a number of important initiatives to support this including Walk and Talk, Operation Reframe, Active Bystander training and our recently launched Christmas campaign.

“The City has a thriving nighttime economy and as part of that we want women to be safe, feel safe and get home safe including ready access to all forms of public transport.

“Women and girls have an absolute right to feel and be safe in the City and we will continue to work tirelessly to make that the everyday reality.”

 The force’s commitment to combating violence against women and girls can be seen in their monthly ‘Reframe the Night’ operation. In partnership with the City of London Corporation and a number of other agencies, the operation provides a high visible presence in the night time economy, giving reassurance with the aim of making people feel safer in the City.

Chief Executive Anthea Sully of White Ribbon UK said:

“City of London Police have made a real commitment to creating a future where women and girls can live without the fear of violence. We are delighted to welcome them as one of our White Ribbon Accredited Organisations.

“We look forward to working with them over the next few years to work towards transforming harmful cultures that perpetuate violence in our society. Eradicating men’s violence against women and girls is something we can achieve in our lifetimes if we all make a long-term commitment to uprooting unhealthy attitudes and behaviours towards women.”