§ Vera BairdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to include violence against women in his Department's recent policy initiatives on violent crime. [27860]
§ Mr. DenhamThe Government have made it clear that they have committed to the reduction of all violent crime, including against women. Tackling violence against women is an integral element of our strategies to reduce violent crime.
81WDomestic violence is the largest single form of violent crime against women. We have taken a number of steps to address domestic violence including issuing a new Home Office circular to the police, issuing multi-agency guidance for addressing domestic violence, and issuing guidance for prosecuting cases of domestic violence to Crown prosecutors. We have provided over £10 million funding under the Crime Reduction Programme to the Violence Against Women initiative. This initiative is aimed to discover what is effective and cost effective in reducing domestic violence, rape and sexual assault by known perpetrators.
Ministers from across Government are working closely together to consider areas for priority action (to effectively address domestic violence and reduce incidents) such as intervention by health professionals and enhancing the interface between the criminal and civil jurisdictions.