Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 94
Police provisions for deaf domestic abuse and sexual violence survivors are inadequate.
Recommendation
In light of the challenges deaf survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence told us they had experienced when engaging with the police, we would also urge the Home Office to undertake work with police forces across England and Wales to understand what provisions are currently in place to enable police officers to support deaf victims of crime as effectively as possible, and to ensure adequate provisions are made available where they are not yet on offer. It is important that forces operate emergency and non- emergency SMS text or Video Relay Services (VRS), so deaf people can communicate with the police when needed, especially in emergencies, and that the police always engage British Sign Language or BSL interpreters when BSL is the first or preferred language of a deaf person being supported by the police, or Lipspeakers for those who lipread as their primary means of communication. The police should also have regard to the particular requirements of those who do not have English or BSL as their first language, but who may use other spoken or signed languages. The Home Office must update us on this piece of work within the next 12 months.
Government response summary AI-generated
The Home Office does not address the specific recommendations regarding provisions for deaf survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. Instead, it states that the data is not currently collated centrally and mentions a new blended learning programme for police officers unrelated to the recommendation's specifics.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
94
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
As we stated in July 2021 in our Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, we recognise that, sadly, certain groups are more likely than others to be victim of particular crime types. The CSEW showed that amongst adults aged 16 to 74 in the year ending March 2020, disabled and d/Deaf people were more than twice as likely to have been victims of rape than people without a disability. In 2017, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) launched the d/Deaf Access to Policing Strategy. The strategy’s three pillars aim to: Increase the availability and improve the quality of sign language interpreters and language service professionals (LSP) through the development of an accredited course for LSPs working in the police setting . The Police Approved Interpreter and Translator (PAIT) scheme sets standards for all LSPs in terms of qualifications and experience to work in a police setting. There are several courses being created nationally specifically for LSPs working in the police setting for d/Deaf people with a view to it being accredited as part of the national BSL qualifications. Hampshire and Greater Manchester Police have these courses in development and are supporting a national expert in developing the accreditation with the national examining body. Make reasonable adjustments to 999 and 101 calls through the implementation of on-demand video interpreting . 999BSL will be introduced on 17 June 2022 enabling d/Deaf people to access 999 using BSL. Some forces also have a video relay service (VRS) for 101 and for those forces this platform can also be used as a video remote interpreting service (VRI) to aid communication at the scene of incidents, custody and front counters. Establish a network with a specified point of contact in each force; create a repository of accessible resources and national guidance to enable forces to respond to incidents involving disabled or deaf people . This network was established in December 2019. The College of Policing hosts resources on how to respond to incidents involving disabled or deaf people. In addition, the NPCC Social Media and Digital Engagement portfolio has established a national operating model of best practice, which includes responding to members of the public 24 hours a day across social media channels. This ensures citizens receive an equivalent standard of service as they would on a telephone call. By both listening and responding to citizens the police seek to build greater trust. There are currently 15 forces operating this model with a potential to expand this year. The police are actively promoting this practice and supporting forces who wish to adopt this model. Successful engagement in this space can lead to someone messaging the police when they would never have previously intended to do so; this has led to reports from very vulnerable victim, demonstrating the value of this model. Forces operating this way have also received positive feedback from those that use the service; this includes those with neurodiverse conditions and some victims of sexual offences who have said they found it easier to type than talk. Some deaf users have fed back that they preferred to use social media and live chat to make a police report as it was something they were able to do themselves without additional support from anybody else. The Home Office is providing over £2 million in funding to the NPCC this year for the Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme (VKPP). The programme identifies best policing practice in responding to crimes such as child sexual abuse and exploitation, rape, domestic abuse, county lines, and modern slavery and shares this across all forces in England and Wales to ensure that frontline officers are able to achieve the best possible outcomes for all victims of these crimes. The programme’s work includes benchmarking all forces against the National Vulnerability Action Plan, with actions relating to police recognition of vulnerability, engagement with victims and underrepresented communities, and understanding of local services. The Home Secretary will write to the Committee within 12 months to update Committee members on the progress of this work.
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