Justice for more than 6,000 domestic abuse victims last year

We’re encouraging victims of domestic abuse to come forward to us, as we continue to make improvements in the way that we respond to and investigate all forms of domestic abuse. This includes the introduction of dedicated domestic abuse teams within every district of Greater Manchester in December 2024 to ensure victims, no matter where they are based, get the best possible service from us, and can start their journey to rebuilding a life without abuse.

In the last year, we’ve arrested almost 20,000 individuals for domestic abuse related offences, which is almost a third of all our arrests force wide in the same period. Beyond arrests, compared with 2021, 32% more victims who come forward to us are seeing justice.

We’ve also issued almost 2,000 domestic violence protection notices last year and recently introduced the domestic abuse protection order pilot which has seen over 15 orders granted in Bury and Wigan so far, and numerous individuals brought before the courts as we monitor compliance. These civil orders provide another way for us to safeguard victims of domestic abuse from further harm, where they perhaps don’t wish to proceed criminally, or we cannot meet the evidence threshold for CPS to authorise charges.

Between January and September 2024, we disclosed information under Clare’s Law – which allows people the right to ask and know information about their partners – to almost 1,500 individuals. This information is given to ensure people feel empowered to make informed decisions about their relationships in the future. This number of disclosures is an increase on the previous two years.

Altogether, our proactive approach to tackling domestic abuse has meant that whilst it’s an issue that is still all too common within our communities, crime in 2024 was down 7.5% compared with 2023.

As an example week, between Monday 6 and Friday 10 January 2025, we:

• Made 190 arrests of alleged domestic abuse perpetrators
• Detained 42 wanted individuals, particularly focusing on our most wanted and high-risk offenders, in connection with reports of domestic abuse
• Attended 97% of emergency domestic call outs within 15 minutes, our best performance yet
• Disclosed information to 57 people under the domestic violence disclosure scheme (also known as Clare’s Law)
• Secured 21 domestic violence protection notices – a civil order to protect victims from further harm – where victims may not wish to proceed with criminal prosecution or there is not enough evidence to prosecute criminally
• Served seven domestic abuse protection orders, with another three awaiting court dates, to suspects of domestic abuse to keep them away from vulnerable victims of domestic abuse. These are new powers part of a Home Office pilot we are currently trialling in Bury and that launched in Wigan on Monday 6 January 2025
• Held 15 community and school engagement events to discuss healthy relationships, consent, how to spot signs of domestic abuse and raising awareness of support mechanisms and ways to report instances
• Ran a trial for 24 hours which included dedicated officers attending callouts relating to domestic abuse alongside our traditional response, to spend more time with victims and provide specialist support. The results and impact of this trial is going to be used for future considerations on how we provide initial responses to domestic related incidents

Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker, force lead for vulnerability, said; “The impact domestic abuse can have on individuals is indescribable. It comes in all shapes and forms, can impact anyone, no matter race, nationality, gender, or sexual identity, and can become a really difficult situation to leave.

“We know that in the past our response to victims of domestic abuse has not been what it should have been, and that despite significant improvement on where we were three years ago, we recognise we still have more to do. However, I am confident that we are protecting more victims from their abuser, and that our response is what people should expect when they call us.

“Protecting those who are vulnerable and being there in their time of need is our priority, and we are working hard to ensure that more victims can have the confidence to report to us and stay engaged throughout the process. Domestic abuse is never the victim’s fault, and I would like to provide assurance that you will be listened to, taken seriously, and that we will act.”

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.