'Overhaul needed' of police domestic abuse training

There have been a number of serious failings in domestic abuse cases in Wales

Police forces need to overhaul their domestic abuse training as they are too reliant on staff learning online, the police watchdog has said.

In 2014, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary highlighted "significant concerns" about how Gwent Police treated some domestic violence victims.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has also criticised the force in a string of reports.

Gwent Police said its training had "vastly improved" in recent years.

The IPCC commissioner for Wales wants all forces to change the way they train officers and civilian staff who deal with domestic abuse cases.

In February, Gwent Police was heavily criticised in a series of independent reviews into the murders of Kim Buckley, her daughter Kayleigh and six-month-old granddaughter Kimberley, who died in September 2012 when Kayleigh's partner Carl Mills set fire to her home in Cwmbran.

The reviews concluded that the family might still be alive if police had done the proper checks on Mills's background.

Mills was given a life sentence for the triple murder

IPCC commissioner for Wales, Jan Williams, said the findings of several investigations into how Gwent Police handled such incidents had demonstrated that their training was "not fit for purpose".

Ms Williams told BBC Wales she had raised her concerns about the over use of e-learning with all four forces in her regular meetings with Welsh chief constables and police and crime commissioners, as well as with HMIC.

"E-learning does have a place - these can be good products and I wouldn't discount it, as it can be valuable," she said.

"In this area however, I do think reliance on e-learning alone is flawed, because not everyone learns well sitting in an isolated room on a computer, tick-boxing against various questions."

She is calling for more interactive learning in a classroom or other setting where case studies can be worked through and scenarios discussed with colleagues to broaden understanding and improve insight.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FAILINGS

Cases where police in Wales have been criticised over their handling of domestic abuse allegations include:

• The murders of Kim Buckley, her daughter Kayleigh and baby Kimberley, who died when Kayleigh's violent partner Carl Mills set fire to their home in Cwmbran in September 2012. Two Gwent Police officers were disciplined after independent reviews of the case concluded the family might still be alive if proper checks had been done on Mills's background

• The murder of Caroline Parry, who was shot dead by her estranged husband, Christopher Parry, near her home in Newport in August 2013. Gwent Police was criticised for its handling of a string of complaints from Mrs Parry in the run-up to her death

• Christine Evans, who was stabbed several times by her ex-partner, Martin Bowen, in July 2014. Ms Evans survived and Bowen was jailed for eight years after admitting grievous bodily harm. Five police officers and two call centre staff at Gwent Police are under investigation by the IPCC, which is expected to publish its findings this summer

• Charmaine Lewis was subjected to a brutal hammer attack by her partner in August 2011, shortly after she had been driven back to her flat by a South Wales Police officer. The IPCC ruled that Ms Lewis, who survived the attack, was let down by the force

• Joanna Michael, who was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend Cyron Williams in 2009 while waiting for South Wales Police and Gwent Police to respond to her 999 call for help

Police federation representatives across Wales are also concerned about a growing reliance on e-learning.

Simon Newport, chairman of North Wales Police Federation, said there was reluctance on the part of forces to take officers away from frontline duties for classroom training because of cost-cutting.

"It's quite simply down to budget cuts as far as I'm concerned, increased austerity in public services, reduced officer numbers here in north Wales and across Wales" he said.

South Wales Police has also come under fire in the past for its approach to domestic abuse cases.

Sophie Howe, deputy police and crime commissioner for South Wales, said the force was committed to rolling out more classroom-based training for frontline staff and has begun involving domestic abuse experts and survivors in devising and delivering training.

Sophie Howe said South Wales Police has introduced changes to its training

Gwent Police said: "Supporting victims and prosecuting offenders remains one of our key priorities and is something we take very seriously.

"In the past few years, training in how to spot the signs of domestic violence and abuse, and how best to respond, has vastly improved for both officers and staff.

"All frontline officers have undertaken some form of domestic abuse-related training which can be delivered in a number of different ways ranging from lectures and classroom-based training to the completion of e-learning packages."

It rejected any suggestion that the force was not providing appropriate training.

North Wales Police said all staff received face-to-face training from internal and external providers and the force was spending above average on training.