Better protection for victims from domestic abusers
Source: gov.uk (2025-02-03)

Victims of domestic abuse will be better protected as part of a new law ensuring even more abusers face tougher management from police and probation.

Closer management of offenders convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour

Agencies such as Police and Probation will have a legal duty to work

Part of the Government’s Plan for Change and mission to halve violence against women and girls

Offenders convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour, and sentenced to 12 months or longer, will now be automatically managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements. This means agencies are legally required to cooperate to better manage the risks posed by these serious offenders, recognising the significant harm this kind of offending can cause.

For the first time, it puts controlling or coercive behaviour on a par with other domestic abuse offences including threats to kill, attempted strangulation and stalking.

Evidence shows offenders who are managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements have a reoffending rate less than half of the national average

The law change means even more domestic abusers will fall under this management, in which agencies are legally required to share any information which indicates increased risk to others, such as former partners or members of the public.

This is part of the Government’s Plan for Change to take back our streets by protecting women and girls from harassment, aggression and violence and manifesto commitment to target the most prolific and harmful perpetrators using methods previously reserved for terrorist and other violent offenders.

Minister for Prisons and Probation, Lord James Timpson said:

Domestic abuse creates fear and isolation, and I will do everything in my power to tackle it and ensure women and girls feel safe in their homes.

This new approach will put controlling or coercive behaviour on a par with physical violence and will help prevent these despicable crimes.

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Philips said:

Domestic abuse devastates lives and affects more than two million people every year.

For the first time, under this change to the law, coercive or controlling behaviour is being placed where it belongs – on a par with serious violent offending. This is an important step to recognise the harm caused by all forms of domestic abuse, ensure the most harmful offenders are managed in the right way, and ultimately keep victims safe.

This Government will crack on with our work to deliver a system that protects victims, supports their journey to justice and holds perpetrators to account – part of our mission under the Plan for Change to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

The law change will apply to all offenders who are sentenced to at least 12 months’ imprisonment, including suspended sentences, or given a hospital order for an offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.

It was introduced by the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 and was signed into law after Justice Minister Lord Timpson signed a statutory instrument early this year.

Previously, those convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour could be actively managed under multi-agency arrangements on a discretionary basis only.

This measure will put beyond doubt the legal requirement for agencies to work together to assess and manage the risks posed by this group of offenders.

Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, Farah Nazeer, said:

Coercive control is a key tool used by perpetrators of domestic abuse, as it isolates survivors and makes them dependent on an abuser.

Women’s Aid welcomes plans to treat coercive and controlling behaviours seriously, automatically managing those convicted of this form of abuse under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA).

It is essential that specialist domestic abuse services, with expertise on abusive behaviours and the impacts on victims and survivors, are routinely included in the MAPPA process if survivors are to be properly protected by this measure.

This announcement builds on measures already set out by the Government as part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls. This includes launching new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in select areas to ensure victims of all types of domestic abuse including coercive control, stalking, and violence can seek protection and more abusers face harsher restrictions.

Further information:
- Multi-agency public protection arrangements, known as MAPPA (https://mappa.justice.gov.uk/connect.ti/MAPPA/groupHome), are the set of arrangements through which the Police, Probation and Prison Services work together with other agencies to manage the risks posed by violent, sexual and terrorist offenders living in the community to protect the public.
- Research conducted by Anglia Ruskin University (https://www.aru.ac.uk/international-policing-and-public-protection-research-institute/research/national-mappa-research) indicates that reoffending rates for individuals managed under MAPPA are less than half of the national average. The one-year reoffending rate for MAPPA is 12.2%, while the national overall one-year reoffending rates range between 30.0% and 31.3% during a similar timeframe.