Video response team gives domestic abuse victims more choice in how they speak to police

Victims of domestic abuse are being given more choice in how they communicate with police thanks to a new virtual response team at Dyfed-Powys.

The Domestic Abuse Video Response Unit (DAVRU) allows victims to choose if they want to receive a video call from a police officer when they report a non-urgent domestic-related incident. This gives them more flexibility in where and when they speak to an officer about what has happened, and allows officers to speak to them more quickly to gain information and evidence.

Where an incident is graded as high risk, officers will attend on an immediate call as standard.

Chief Inspector Gerallt Jones said: “The DAVRU allows victims of domestic-related offences which are not high risk to receive a frontline response when they need it. Previously, the incident would be assigned to a local officer for contact to be made, and as a result of huge demand on our resources some victims were unfortunately waiting too long to speak to someone.

“Our video response service now allows us to identify risk and carry out an assessment of evidential opportunities at an earlier stage, and also to start putting support in place for people living with domestic abuse.

“Not only that, but for many victims the benefit has been in communicating with officers remotely, which is more discreet than having police at their home and less daunting than having to visit a police station. Both of these might previously have been a barrier to reporting.”

With the DAVRU in place, a victim still needs to report an incident in the usual way – by calling 999 or 101, reporting online or via direct message on social media. The call handler will triage the incident and identify if it is suitable for a video response. It is then the victim’s decision to accept the option of a video call, and their details will be sent to a DAVRU officer if they consent.

The majority of victims are now receiving a call back within 24 hours, and can make an appointment for the full details of the incident to be discussed.

Where an incident is considered too high risk, or is an ongoing incident, it will be dealt with by frontline officers.