Police forces should conduct intersectional gender analysis to inform the design and implementation of operational processes for responding to crimes of VAWG. This analysis should focus on understanding and addressing the barriers women face to reporting instances of VAWG. It should also acknowledge that women from different backgrounds may face different barriers to reporting. Police forces should work with diverse women’s rights organisations to conduct this intersectional gender analysis in order to gather the views and experiences of women from diverse backgrounds and build relationships with these groups.

The first step is for the police to develop operational protocols (e.g. standard operating procedures) for the police response to various forms of violence against women girls (VAWG) in line with existing legislation and drawing on examples of effective practice. This should set out the responsibilities of different police units including women and child protection units, criminal investigations division and so on. They should also set up standards for how to treat survivors and how to record and track cases.

Once operational procedures have been established, police forces should ensure that all police officers are trained to have a thorough understanding of what these are and the importance of following them as well as establishing accountability procedures to monitor their implementation. Police force leadership and management should provide strong and consistent messaging around the seriousness of crimes of VAWG, along with who is responsible and accountable for effective VAWG investigations, criminal prosecution, and survivor safety. 

Survivors of VAWG are at particular risk of re-traumatisation which can be triggered by insensitive service delivery. Police forces should put the safety and comfort of survivors at the forefront of service delivery, ensure survivors know they are believed, avoid intrusive questioning, respect confidentiality, ensure survivors have access to support at all stages, and allow survivors to engage at their own pace. In most cases, women and girl survivors prefer to be supported by a female police officer and thus focusing on the recruitment, training and support of female officers is critical. Investigations should focus on the actions of the alleged perpetrator, rather than on the characteristics, behaviour or credibility of the survivor. Survivors should also be fully engaged in all decision-making processes that affect them. Taking a survivor-centred approach will help build trust and encourage collaboration with survivors. Where possible, police forces should establish confidential safe spaces within stations, designed to offer privacy to survivors seeking support.

Some police forces decide to establish specialist units to support survivors of VAWG, and these are usually run by female police officers. When adequately resourced and trained, specialist units can help reduce re-traumatisation, improve ethical evidence collection that respects the dignity and safety of survivors, and foster greater trust with communities by demonstrating the commitment of police forces to addressing VAWG.

However, specialist units may also be used to justify a lack of training on addressing VAWG and taking a survivor-centred approach among the broader police force. If the broader police force is ill-equipped to address cases of VAWG in a survivor-centred manner, this can undermine the efforts of a specialist unit. In addition, specialised units may become isolated from the broader police force, weakening communication and information sharing that can help bring justice to survivors. Specialised units that are under resourced may also face high caseloads that lead to burnout and stress and can compromise the quality of the services provided. Thus, it is critical to look at promising practices and lessons in supporting specialist units. 

The police should work with other services providers to establish clear referral mechanisms to link survivors and witnesses to other VAWG response services in a timely and appropriate way. This process is known as a referral, with referral mechanisms providing a structured framework for guiding survivors of VAWG to the appropriate care. Referral processes should incorporate standards to ensure the smooth and safe navigation of the different essential services available to victims and survivors.

The services featured in referral mechanisms may vary based on the context and available resources, but they generally include healthcare services; psychosocial support; legal assistance; shelter and safe housing; case management; child protection services; and livelihood and economic support. These can be provided by formal service providers, as well as informal community-based actors. For further information see strengthen referral mechanisms

Survivors who report crimes of VAWG are at higher risk of violence and backlash from perpetrators and communities. Police should recognise these risks and support survivors to find a safe place to stay once they have reported. In instances of intimate partner violence or domestic violence, where the survivor lives in the same house as the perpetrator, it may be unsafe for a survivor to return home. This is particularly the case when the survivor is also financially dependent on the perpetrator. While supporting survivors to find a safe place to stay, police should ensure that all information provided by survivors is treated confidentially. Police should not share personal information about survivors without the survivor’s informed consent. 

The police have an important role to play in collecting, handling and storing data in VAWG cases. This evidence is needed to develop strong legal cases against perpetrators and in some cases, survivors of VAWG are required to provide evidence to access social support. Programmes should work with police forces and WROs representing survivors of VAWG to understand and address the barriers to safely collecting, handling and storing data. Programmes should provide training for police on how to safely collect, handle and store data. They could also consider strengthening operational processes to improve these systems. 

Programmes should support the police to develop strong synergies with the Justice Sector to ensure that the Justice Sector has all the information needed to bring perpetrators to justice during prosecution. Programmes can do this by supporting more efficient and safe data sharing processes, by improving coordination and collaboration across the sectors, and by providing training to both the Police and Justice actors about what is needed to strengthen VAWG cases and bring perpetrators to justice.