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Violence against women and girls is a complex issue which has its root cause in societal behaviours and conduct reflecting disrespect for women. Despite Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly being amongst the safest places to live in the UK, many women and girls have very real, tangible fears about their safety and we all have a role in tackling this, both internally and externally.
Nationally a framework for delivery was released in December to support improvements in policing. At Devon & Cornwall Police we have launched our draft action plan to tackle violence against women and girls which includes the national outcomes. A lot of work is already underway across the Force. We have invested in bystander and leadership training, are focusing on relentlessly pursuing perpetrators and continue to develop our response to investigations, ensuring that if you are a victim of crime or harm you receive the best service. We are furthering our understanding of the impact of trauma.
Working with our partners, particularly community safety partnerships, we are focusing upon making our places safer; initiatives such as StreetSafe assist with the identification of areas that you have told us feel less safe, and Saferstreets has and continues to provide funding to improve community safety through tackling environmental issues. The work in Exeter upon a Charter and the Plymouth Commission are just two examples of working in partnership for a safer Devon and Cornwall.
We encourage everyone to speak up to tackle violence against women and girls. It is as important to men, boys and everyone else, however you choose to identify. We are encouraged by the numbers of men and boys who are supportive and act as allies and advocates to women and girls. Whoever you are, you can make a difference, challenging behaviours that are normalised; you can be a positive influence and make change through calling out and challenging inappropriate behaviours. We will be implementing programmes of internal and external listening events across the Force for individuals to get involved in. Undergoing bystander training is just one way in which you can learn more.
We are publishing our final version of the VAWG Delivery Plan which has been updated following feedback. It follows the National Framework and we will shortly be publishing our progress against all 3 pillars and providing details of the forthcoming engagement opportunities.
We are working closely with our partners in the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, local authorities, community safety partnerships, health and across the justice system to deliver this plan.
Our Delivery Plan sets out our overarching aim for preventing crimes of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and improving outcomes for them. Our Violence Against Women and Girls delivery plan covers three key priorities:
Our overarching aim is to be world-leading in preventing harm and protecting women and girls. We will use a trauma-informed approach, that maintains the position of Devon and Cornwall as being one of the safest places in the country to live, enabling every woman and girl to live to their full potential.
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