Collection and sharing of data at national and local levels

Immediately, the Home Office should lead work, coordinated by the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection, to significantly increase both the collection and use of data on sexually motivated crimes against women in public spaces, in order to establish an informed understanding of these crimes and assist in building effective preventative measures. This work should: a. Add requirements for police forces to consistently record and provide data on: (i) the nature of the relationship between the perpetrator and victim; and (ii) a description of the location of the offence(s), as part of their annual data returns. b. Review the capability and capacity of police analysts, working to increase the recruitment, retention and recognition of the central role these professionals play. c. Establish annual information collection, using existing surveys, to understand women's perceptions of safety and their experiences. d. Set clear guidelines that, where data is gathered by policing from female victims, they should be offered the opportunity to share information regarding protected characteristics.