Family Solicitors

A top female officer at Scotland Yard has said that domestic violence incidents are currently at their worst level for 30 years.

Metropolitan Police Commander Christine Jones has announced that domestic abusers are to be targeted in a new police campaign which will use “Al Capone” tactics.

Police will focus on 160 of the capital’s worst perpetrators of domestic violence. The “Al Capone” tactics will focus on officers examining tax records, benefit claim records and other details of an individual’s life in order to prosecute them for crimes they have committed other than domestic abuse.

Similar methods were used in the 1930s to prosecute gangster boss Al Capone – often victims of domestic violence are too terrified to testify against their abuser and as a result the perpetrators escape prosecution. The police now intend to examine other details of their lives and financial affairs in an attempt to ensure that the worst domestic abusers end up in jail.

In London, domestic violence incidents carried out on women have risen by around 2,000 in the last 12 months.

Cmdr Jones – who heads up the Metropolitan Police’s initiative to tackle domestic abuse – said that the rise in incidents may be linked to abusers using violent pornography and a culture in which females are encourage to post explicit images of themselves online as a result of peer pressure and to win social approval.

Cmdr Jones added that this culture of domestic abuse – and abusers using rape as a weapon of choice – are all part of an unacceptable attitude towards women.

She said that more women would suffer at the hands of domestic abusers unless “we as a civilised society say… this is not acceptable to us”.

Once an offender has been jailed, their behaviour on release from prison will also be controlled using licences and other provisions available.

Cmdr Jones said that levels of accepted violence towards women are now probably higher than they were twenty or thirty years’ ago.

“If you look at the gang environment and the way that sisters, girlfriends and others are targeted for multiple rape and for retribution, it starts to demonstrate the attitude towards women and their value – particularly when you’re having rape by large numbers of young men which is then filmed on mobile phones.

“What does that tell you about society? Not only recorded – but viewed by others and prepared to be viewed by others,” she said.

Duncan Lewis Domestic Violence Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of domestic violence solicitors and can advise victims of domestic abuse on their rights under the law.

Duncan Lewis is also a leading provider of Legal Aid services in the UK – and can advise victims of domestic violence on their rights under UK law and Islamic law. Our solicitors speak more than 70 languages between them.

For expert legal advice on domestic violence, call the Duncan Lewis Domestic Violence Solicitors’ Helpline on 07920 077054.