PCC issues a renewed commitment on violence against women and girls following the government’s VAWG strategy

Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire, John Tizard has welcomed the new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, announced today by the Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Minister, Jess Philips.

The PCC said:

"I welcome the government’s VAWG strategy, but feel that we need to go further and put more resources behind preventing and tackling the crimes that too many women and girls are the victims of.

"The emphasis on prevention is critical. Boys and men must be challenged whenever they display misogyny, and programmes in schools and elsewhere aimed at preventing “radicalisation” have a role to play, but so do all of us as parents and members of communities. The government and social media companies need to do more to ensure that children and young people cannot access damaging material online.

"The support for victims is also welcome, and we could do much more with the necessary resources.

"Bedfordshire Police has committed professional specialist teams to tackle domestic abuse, child exploitation and serious sexual crimes including rape. We must improve performance and ensure that the victims are central to their work.

"Our recent More in Common polling showed that many women do not feel save especially in town centres at night. This has to be a focus for the police, our local authority partners and retail and hospitality businesses.

"Umme Ali, the Deputy PCC and I will be using the government’s VAWG strategy to drive our own mission, set out in my Police and Crime Plan, to protect women and children."