Domestic Abuse Protection Order pilot reaches six weeks in Bury, and expands this week to Wigan

We have reached the six-week mark since beginning a government pilot of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) in Bury, which has already been making a positive difference to safeguarding victims of domestic abuse. This week, the pilot has now been extended into Wigan. Read more about what DAPOs are here: GMP secures first innovative order to protect domestic abuse survivors in GM | Greater Manchester Police

In total, seven DAPOs have been issued since the start of the Bury pilot in November 2024, with a further one set to go before the courts next week. A temporary order is currently in place whilst we await the outcome on a full order.

On Monday, we secured the biggest penalty so far for a breach of DAPO – Michael Mitchell (26/11/1978) of no fixed abode was sentenced to eight months imprisonment.

Just before Christmas, a two-month DAPO was granted after Mitchell, who was on trial for domestic abuse offences, was acquitted of criminal prosecution due to the victim no longer supporting this.

We know victims of domestic abuse may have a variety of reasons why they don’t want to go through with criminal prosecution, and we must take a victim-centred approach. However, DAPOs can provide safeguarding and protection from risk to victims, without the need to go to court, and therefore we applied for one in this case.

Within days, Mitchell failed to attend Bury Police Station to sign on as part of his conditions, and attended the victim’s address on Boxing Day, when the order stated he couldn’t do so.

He was swiftly arrested, and in custody admitted the breaches. We are now working with criminal justice partners to extend the DAPO beyond the custodial sentence granted, to ensure the victim is safeguarded even when Mitchell is released.

Other examples of positive results for breaches of DAPOs granted have included:

• One 12-week prison sentence for not signing on in line with the order, breaching contact prohibitions, and on arrest was in possession of drugs
• One £80 fine for failure to sign on

Detective Superintendent Toby Facey, force lead for domestic abuse, said, “We are already starting to see what a difference DAPOs can make to victims of all kinds of domestic abuse, and I know this will continue as we begin rolling the pilot out further in Greater Manchester.

“It’s important that we are robust in the enforcement of these orders, ensuring all breaches are swiftly dealt with, and perpetrators held to account for their actions. The fact that we have seen only this week such a significant custodial sentence passed for breaching one of these orders shows how seriously these are being treated by the criminal justice system, and the punishments perpetrators may face.

“The pilot in Bury will continue, as we now extend this into Wigan, where we unfortunately have higher levels of domestic abuse reports. Our plan is to have DAPOs available in all areas of Greater Manchester in the coming months, in what will be the biggest pilot of these orders in the UK. This is an important part of achieving the policing priorities within the city-region's Gender-Based Violence Strategy.”

How to report domestic abuse and get support

If you or someone you know are a victim or survivor of domestic abuse, we encourage you not to suffer in silence and report it to the police by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.

You can also report information and crimes on our website (www.gmp.police.uk) using the 'report' tool.

Alternatively, you can report information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

There are also lots of organisations and support agencies available across Greater Manchester that can help and provide support for you:

Greater Manchester domestic abuse helpline 
Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, except bank holidays. For anyone experiencing domestic abuse. Includes a language service and advice for the LGBT community.

End the Fear 
Includes information on local help all over Greater Manchester.

More support organisations can be found here.