21 November 2023

Bringing together the four Welsh police forces and Welsh universities through the Wales Innovation Network (WIN), AWPAC aims to establish a broader evidence base for policing in Wales. 

Following a successful round of funding last year, three projects - which involve collaboration between universities and police forces in Wales - have now been selected for further funding within the remit of violence against women and girls (VAWG): 

  • Misogyny as a risk factor leading to serious harm in cases of domestic abuse 

  • Operation Diogel and Specialist Units for tackling VAWG across Wales 

  • Addressing Police Perpetrated VAWDASV: A process evaluation 

Lewis Dean, Head of the Wales Innovation Network, said:  

“The All-Wales Policing Academic Collaboration plays a crucial role in bringing together universities and police forces across Wales. WIN is delighted to have been involved in this important work since its launch in March 2022.  

“I’m delighted that we can continue to provide funding for vital research into violence against women and girls. These three projects have the potential to further advance police research in Wales and can have a real impact on policing in Wales and the UK.” 

Professor Deborah Jones of Swansea University, co-chair of AWPAC, said: 

“It is very encouraging to see a proposal that builds on the AWPAC Year 1 projects, bringing together all four Welsh police forces to discuss Police Perpetrated Domestic Abuse (PPDA), ensuring that research in this area continues to be a priority. Supporting victims and survivors of violence against women and girls is pivotal to organisational integrity and such interventions are of key interest to the National Chief Police Council and strategic interest to policing in England and Wales.” 

Superintendent Ross Evans of Dyfed-Powys police force, co-chair of AWPAC, said: 

“Tackling violence against women and girls is a high priority for police forces in Wales. I am very pleased to see the development of these projects aligning with the VAWG agenda, equipping Welsh police forces and partners with greater information for developing interventions in this area. AWPAC also agreed to fund a portfolio of projects to maximise the impact of the funding across Welsh universities and police forces.” 

 

Projects 

Misogyny as a risk factor leading to serious harm in cases of domestic abuse 

Led by Bangor University, this project will investigate whether misogyny is an individual risk factor leading to serious harm in domestic abuse cases. The research will aim to identify additional risk factors for serious domestic violence and feed into police training and training of professionals working within the area of domestic abuse.  

The project is an extension of a research thesis which worked collaboratively between Bangor University and North Wales Police. Now, expanding across all Welsh force areas enables the data to be representative of the whole of Wales and widens the impact of findings and recommendations.   

The research will also review the new domestic abuse risk assessment, DARA, developed by the College of Policing to better equip frontline officers to spot coercive control. 

 

Operation Diogel and Specialist Units for tackling VAWG across Wales 

This project, led by Cardiff University, builds on an evaluation of ‘Operation Diogel’, a new specialist team of investigators which aims to improve victim experiences, safeguarding and criminal justice outcomes in the Cardiff and Vale Basic Command Unit.  

Knowledge exchange workshops with representatives from all four police forces and their partners will be arranged to disseminate findings from the Operation Diogel evaluation and communicate best practice and learning across Wales to maximise police effectiveness in responding to domestic abuse/VAWG. The project will enable a more robust all-Wales research plan to be instigated. 

 

Addressing Police Perpetrated VAWDASV: A process evaluation 

This project builds on the AWPAC Year 1 project ‘Addressing domestic abuse within the police – exploring Welsh police forces’ response to victims and offenders as employees’. The funding will be used for the development and refinement of the Theory of Change model and monitoring and evaluation framework and will contribute to a specialist advocacy service for victims and survivors of police perpetrated domestic abuse, violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence (PP-VAWDASV). 

The findings will contribute to the limited evidence on PP-VAWDASV interventions, provide a framework for further testing and evaluation of future impact and provide opportunities for learning and development within police forces. 

The project has been co-produced by University of South Wales, The Open University, South Wales Police, Gwent Police, Vale Domestic Abuse Service and Cyfannol Women’s Aid.