The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Police have used new powers to give a victim of domestic abuse the chance to plan a safer future.
Spalding officers this week applied to Lincoln Magistrates’ Court for a new domestic violence protection order against a man from the town.
The man had been arrested on November 3 on suspicion of a domestic abuse assault.
He was later released without charge due to a lack of sufficient evidence.
But last Friday, the police used new powers, known as a Domestic Violence Protection Notice, to ban the man from returning to the victim’s address.
The new powers were introduced in June.
Domestic Violence Protection Notices (DVPN)allow senior police officers to act instantly to safeguard families they consider to be under threat from perpetrators of domestic abuse.
The notices are used to intervene in cases where police believe a victim may be at risk from violence or are worried about violent behaviour within a household, but do not have enough evidence to bring a criminal charge.
Within 48 hours of a DVPN being issued, there is a further hearing in the magistrates’ court where the length of the Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) is determined.
Before this scheme, only those arrested and charged with an offence could be barred from their home, either through bail conditions or by the victim seeking an order in the civil courts.
The new measures give police the power to ban violent abusers from their homes for a length of time, allowing the victims to stay in their own homes rather than flee to a friend’s home, or a refuge, to escape their abuser.
This gives them vital respite and gives them time to consider their options. If abusers breach the order it could then lead to a fine or a prison sentence.
Community Policing Inspector Jim Tyner explained: “This is a significant piece of legislation designed to help victims of domestic abuse when they may be at their most vulnerable.
“The use of the order in this case has given the victim some much needed time, space and support to plan a safer future, by keeping the perpetrator away while she decides what to do.”
