Local authorities are to be granted more powers to prevent domestic abusers from making contact with their victims, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced.
Under the new domestic abuse protection order pilot, the police and third party agencies such as councils will be able to order abusers to stay away from their victim indefinitely.
Only the police currently have the power to apply to the courts for legally-enforced protection orders and these only last for up to 28 days.
The new measures form part of ‘Raneem’s Law’, in memory of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in 2018.
Ms Cooper said the new measures were the start of the Government’s ‘mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.’
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips said: ‘For too long, we know victims haven’t had the protection they deserve.
‘We have set out an ambitious mission – to halve violence against women and girls in a decade – and offering the strongest and most effective response to incidents of domestic abuse is absolutely fundamental to this.’
