Sustaining Domestic Abuse as a Priority: Insights from Wales and Australia

The widespread and serious nature of domestic abuse is one which is recognised by the World Health Organization (2013) as a worldwide problem of epidemic proportions. Adding to this severity are the findings from a commission that has been carried out by the European Union (2010:5) who claim that “domestic violence is a high priority for the European Union”. In acceptance of this view, the UK Government have stated that “domestic violence and abuse is unacceptable and addressing the issue is a priority for the government” (Gov, 2016b, Online). However, whilst it would appear that domestic abuse has been outlined as a priority for the UK Government, all of the 43 Home Office police forces in England and Wales (HMIC, 2014), and for the Australian police, therefore this article will question whether measures
of austerity have had an impact on the sustainability of policing
domestic abuse, and if so, one may question whether the commitment on paper is reflected within practice.