Police arrests 're-traumatising' abuse survivors

GMP said it had "done significant work to drastically improve the force from one that was letting down victims"

A force's pledge to double its number of arrests has led to rape and domestic violence victims finding themselves being held over allegations of offences connected to their interactions with police, a research group has said.

Two women have told the BBC how they were "re-traumatised" after being arrested by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) on suspicion of making malicious communications years after they had reported their own allegations of abuse.

The Centre for Women's Justice (CWJ) research group said GMP's arrests target should never have been made by the area's chief constable.

GMP said arrests were not an "end in themselves".

Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods said: "We know the importance of ensuring that all women and girls – particularly survivors of abuse – have confidence in the police and know that we are committed to protect them from harm."

Anne and Natalia, whose names have been changed to protect their anonymity, were both arrested over allegations made in respect of messages they had sent stemming from the abuse they had reported to police.

Anne said the message that led to her arrest was an "expression of the trauma" she had experienced, and the arrest "devastated" her.

The men the pair had accused of domestic abuse and rape were not arrested, but were instead invited to voluntary interviews.

No further action was taken after Anne and Natalia's arrests.

A report led by former government victims' commissioner Dame Vera Baird said the force had put "a premium" on arrests which were "a harmful use of power"

Chief Constable Stephen Watson announced in 2021 that his force would double the number arrests made each month from a baseline of 2,511 in September of that year.

Mr Watson made the pledge in the aftermath of a damning 2020 report, before his tenure began, which found the force had failed to record about 80,000 crimes and had closed cases without proper investigations.

The pledge had been met by May 2024.

But in July a report commissioned by mayor Andy Burnham found officers were making arrests "unwisely, unnecessarily, and sometimes unlawfully", concluding "it is in the interests of the force and the public for that to stop".

The report, led by former government victims' commissioner Dame Vera Baird, said the force had put "a premium" on arrests which were "a harmful use of power and a damaging weapon against members of the public".

CWJ founder Harriet Wistrich said any arrests "target" should be "scrapped" because officers were "interpreting that as any opportunity to meet their target by arresting somebody".

Anne moved to Greater Manchester after she reporting domestic abuse in a different part of the country in 2014, where she said a former partner had "almost killed" her by smothering her.

Anne was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence in 2023 after she was accused of swearing at paramedics who police said had been called to a concern for her welfare, which she denies.

She was further arrested on suspicion of assault because an officer said she tried to close the door on them.

However, Anne maintained video footage of the incident demonstrated "I did not assault anyone or close the door on the officers".

In 2024 Anne was arrested as part of an investigation into alleged "malicious communications" over emails to a police officer she had accused of "lying" in which she used swear words and wrote that she hoped the officer would "suffer in pain" and "die".

Anne said her "absolutely horrific" experience of being arrested showed "you are not treated as a victim who is traumatised from the crime that has been done to you, you are treated as a criminal".

She said: "I live my life in fear of the doorbell ringing and the police coming back again."

'Significant improvement'

GMP said it "takes all reports of domestic abuse seriously and thoroughly investigates all reports".

Natalia reported being raped to GMP in 2019 but said the investigation into her allegations was "incompetent" and a review later offered her an apology after finding a series of mistakes.

She said she was "re-victimised" when arrested in 2023 by officers who told her she was suspected of sending malicious communications on Twitter, now known as X, but she said they gave no details.

Natalia said: "They could have just called me and I would have gone."

She added that "that's what they did with my rapist - so they do that with rapists".

Deputy Chief Constable Woods said the force had "done significant work to drastically improve the force from one that was letting down victims nearly four years ago, to one that is protecting more victims and bringing more offenders to justice".

Dame Vera's review concluded that officers "do not appear to understand the harm [arrests] can do to individuals".

Ms Wistrich said: "If you have a target to make so many arrests, sometimes it's very easy to meet that target by arresting for very 'simple type' offices, like somebody causing criminal damage or a communication."

She added that "there is also the additional grotesque feeling of injustice where you are actually the victim, and the police are taking you away and leaving the perpetrator free - that sense of injustice is quite intolerable really".