The Metropolitan Police are to start using counter-terrorism tactics to combat the prevalence of violence against women and girls (VAWG).
In a piece for the Metro, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the level of VAWG across society is “shocking” and explained what the force are doing to protect women and girls.
Rowley explained how the Met has launched the V100 programme to target the most dangerous men in society. This programme draws on how the Met “disrupt drugs gangs and dismantle terrorists operations.”
V100 targets the 100 most dangerous men who pose a risk to women and girls, using counter terrorism and organised crime tactics.
Rowley wrote: “We are catching more of the most dangerous offenders, putting more protections in place for victim-survivors and, as a result of linking these offenders to other crimes, achieving longer sentences.
“Each month, we analyse crime reports to identify the 100 men whom we suspect pose the biggest risk to women and children. Once identified, we use every option available to get them behind bars and stop their offending.
“But criminal prosecutions are not our only answer. We use the full range of our powers to relentlessly target the V100 suspects, prevent immediate harm and protect victims.”
The commissioner said the new approach had “more than doubled the risk of arrest for the most harmful suspects of violence against women.”
According to figures from the Met, a total of 126 people have been charged with 574 offences since the new approach came in. This includes charges for rape, grievous bodily harm (GBH), non-fatal strangulation and attempted murder.
Meanwhile, 155 arrests have been made for 1,246 offences. 103 of these arrests relate to VAWG.
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, said: “Every woman has a fundamental right to feel safe. 100 offenders convicted by the Met Police means 100 more dangerous men off our streets – a powerful achievement for the Met’s V100 initiative.
“Delivering a consistent national approach in the use of these data-driven tools to identify and pursue the most dangerous perpetrators is a core part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. We are cracking on alongside our policing partners to achieve this.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Violence against women and girls has no place in London and I fully support the renewed action being taken by the Met to identify and go after the most dangerous and violent predators.
“This work is supported by record funding from City Hall and is transforming the way the Met tackles violence against women and girls, ensuring perpetrators who pose the greatest risk are arrested and convicted – protecting victims from the worst offenders and making our streets safer.
“I am really encouraged by this progress, but we know there is still work to do. I remain committed to doing everything I can to support the Met’s action, investing in vital services that support victims and important intervention work that stops perpetrators from reoffending. Working together is the only way to end violence against women and girls and build a safer London for everyone.”
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