By Humberside Police: statement on domestic abuse during the lockdown
Assistant Chief Constable Chris Noble of Humberside Police has issued the following statement regarding domestic abuse during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Humberside Police have said that as part of our continued commitment to protecting those that are vulnerable during this unusual time, they are appealing to victims of domestic abuse to contact them so that they are best able to assist victims. They have also issued a warning domestic abuse perpetrators that this is still a priority for the force:
Assistant Chief Constable Chris Noble said: “During this unprecedented time and the current circumstances, we are doing everything we can to continue to protect vulnerable people and keep them safe.
“Anyone who thinks that the social isolation is a free pass for them to behave how they like to people within their household needs to know that we are taking a firm and proactive approach to ensure that this does not happen.
“You will not be able to hide behind the lockdown – domestic abuse continues to be a priority for us and we will continue to act within the full powers of the law to take action against anyone committing domestic abuse.
“We will not allow vulnerable victims to believe that they are alone during this time and we will take action against anyone who thinks they can get away with committing offences of this nature.
“To anyone that is a victim of domestic abuse, I want to be really clear. We are here for you and we will listen and help you.
“We are conscious that there may be people out there that are in lockdown with their abuser and therefore may struggle to reach out for help.
“But there are a number of options available, nobody needs to suffer in silence.
“You can call us on 101 or 999 in an emergency, but we do understand that for some speaking on the phone may be difficult.
“If you dial 999 and press 55, we will know that you are on the line and need help but are unable to speak. We will be able to hear what is happening and can use the information from the call to find where you are and send help out to you.
“You can also get in touch via the direct message function on either our force Twitter or our force Facebook accounts, both of which can be found by searching @Humberbeat.
“Specially trained call handlers will receive your message and will be able to help you.
“Alternatively there are a number of charities and other organisations that can help, the numbers for some of these are listed below.
“Women’s Aid have launched a real time online chat function to enable victims to reach out for help. You can find out more about this here https://www.womensaid.org.uk/womens-aid-launches-new-live-chat-service/”
Women’s Aid – 0808 200 0247
Refuge’s 24 hour helpline – 0808 2000 247
Men’s Advice Line – 0808 801 0327
Mankind Initiative – 01823 334 244
Childline – 0800 111 111
Hull Domestic Abuse Partnership – 01482 318 759
North & North East Lincs support, The Blue Door – 0800 197 47 87
East Riding Support – 01482 396 330
Respect – Helpline for offenders – 0845 122 86 09
For more information about how we tackle domestic abuse visit: https://www.humberside.police.uk/DA
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