1. Coercive and Controlling Behaviour

2. WHAT IS IT ?
A person repeatedly or continuously engages in behaviour towards another that is controlling or coercive. At the time of the behaviour, both parties are personally connected, the behaviour has a serious effect on the other and it is known or ought to be known the behaviour will have a serious effect. i.e. Domestic micromanagement.

3. I used to have friends
I used to go out
I used to have a life
Controlling someone by
restricting their personal or
financial freedom is a crime.

4. Personally connected’ - When the incidents took place, the parties were in an intimate personal relationship (living together or not) or family members (lived together) or previously in a intimate personal relationship (lived together).
‘Serious effect’ – Fear that violence will be used against them on at least two occasions, or have been caused serious alarm or distress which has a substantial adverse effect on day-to-day activities

5. Coercive and Controlling Behaviours towards another can include or be committed in conjunction with a range of other offences such as Criminal Damage, Assault, Sexual Assault etc. Victims rarely contact the police to specifically report the offence of coercive control. Coercive control often became apparent as a result of other offences (such as assault or criminal damage) being reported. You can pursue a charge of CCB alone or with another charge eg rape. Of all reported DA cases, research would suggest that 79-86% involve ongoing abuse and would therefore potentially meet the criteria for a charge of coercive control.

6. TYPES OF BEHAVIOUR Types of behaviour Isolating Depriving
Sexually assaulting
Controlling
Demeaning
Threatening
Assaulting
Monitoring
Preventing

7. Examples of coercive and controlling behaviours can include:
every day criticism
threats to kill
threats to harm a child
controlling their finances
threats to publish private information
removing the bathroom door
controlling what toys the children can play with
withholding medication
not allowing them to sleep with a blanket or duvet
depriving them of food
threatening to stop contact with a child

8. controlling what they wear
saying whether they can/need to work – controlling their shift pattern
damaging phones to cause isolation
threatening to report them to Social Services
deleting all male contacts on a phone
intimidating with fists
calling someone a freak
moving things around the house to make them think they’re going mad (gas lighting)
being woken throughout the night causing exhaustion
being showered with love and gifts
threats to hurt or physically harming a family pet
monitoring mobile phone
installing spyware

9. EVIDENCE
Efforts aimed at gathering evidence to build a robust prosecution case should focus two key things:
on the wider pattern of behaviour of the perpetrator
2. the cumulative impact on the victim.

10. EVIDENCE
Evidence s
Phone records
Text messages
Social media records
Photographs
Command and Control Records
CCTV
Body worn video footage
Interaction with Support Services
Medical records
Witness testimony
Local enquiries
Bank records
Diaries
Evidence of isolation.
“He would also check the mileage to make sure I had just been to the school and back so I was pretty much in a kind of prison really …”
“He used to make me parade around the house in front of the children naked and show them the injuries he had caused. I was embarrassed and humiliated and my son was too.”

11. POLICE RESPONSE Arrest and bail Benefits of Arrest
Victim feels safer and improve their engagement with police and services
Disrupt pattern of controlling/coercive behaviour
Allow other enquiries to take place
Provide opportunity to put other services in place to support victim
Impose bail conditions to protect victim
Send a message to perpetrator – their behaviour will not be tolerated and the victim is not alone
The victim is being taken seriously

12. 27 QUESTIONS ASKED AT EVERY INCIDENT
DASH
27 QUESTIONS ASKED AT EVERY INCIDENT
Officers need to consider:-
Who is at risk
The context of the behaviour
How the risk factors interact with each other
The victims perception of risk

13. Dash questions will cover:-
Physical Abuse
Sexual Abuse
Coercion, Threats & Intimidation
Emotional Abuse & Isolation
Children & Pregnancy
Economic Abuse

14. DVPO Suspect must be over 18
Reasonable grounds for believing suspect has been violent or has threatened violence towards person AND
DVPO necessary to protect person from violence or threat of violence by suspect
Order lasts 28 days
Arrestable if breached

15. Herefordshire – DA Marker Applied
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
TOTAL
Homicide 1
Violence With Injury 34 41 26 43 36 42 16
274
Violence Without Injury 83 85 95 93 94
101 58
694
Rape 8 2 3 7 33
Other Sexual Offences 10
Personal Robbery
Business Robbery
Burglary - Residential - National
Burglary - Business and Community - National
Vehicle Offences
Theft from Person
Bicycle Theft
Shoplifting
All Other Theft Offences 5 4 6
Criminal Damage & Arson 12 13 84
Other Crimes Against Society 39
152
145
143
164
150
161
171 91
1177
Last Refreshed 19/11/2018
West Mercia - Herefordshire /19

16. QUESTIONS ?