They are the horrific crimes that pose the most danger to women and girls living in Greater Manchester right now. Domestic abuse, sexual assault and rape, child sexual abuse and exploitation, online stalking and harassment, have been given the same priority as terrorism by police. It comes as reports of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) now make up over a quarter of calls received by Greater Manchester Police. As a secret 230-page document detailing the greatest threats to women and girls was shared with police forces across the UK, campaigners have warned that the country is seeing an 'epidemic' of gender-based violence. Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link In a recent update, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) have now prioritised violence against women and girls next to terrorism and serious organised crime as a the biggest national threats.
The Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment (STRA) has been handed to police forces across the UK, with confidential intelligence about the risks posed to women and girls.
Similar documents are already used by police tackling terrorism and organised crime. Now police forces will be expected to allocate officers to tackle the rising rates of violent and sexual crimes being faced by women.
Latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that in England and Wales, an estimated 6.9 per cent of women (1.7 million) and 3 per cent of men (699,000) experienced domestic abuse in the year to March 2022.