Policing domestic abuse effectively: A blueprint for success?

Domestic abuse is a global social problem that is well established on criminal justice and human rights agendas worldwide. Yet it continues to present significant challenges to police services in particular despite the combined effects of advances in knowledge, practices, structures, systems and skills. There is evidence to suggest that historically domestic disputes have been viewed negatively by frontline police officers. This idea is often associated with the contested and change-resistant concept of police culture(s). Advances in knowledge continue to reveal the complexities of domestic abuse. These complexities benefit from effective collaborative responses between multiple agencies as well as co-production of safety approaches. The US-based The Blueprint for Safety: An Interagency Response to Domestic Violence Crimes (Praxis International, 2010) offers a framework for global communities to adopt and adapt in the drive to embed more aligned, coordinated and integrated responses to domestic abuse. In particular, it emphasises the special role and responsibilities of the frontline police officer as gatekeeper for the victim's access to different services and as a key player in the collective approach to protecting vulnerable victims.