A critical reflection on the use and effectiveness of DVPNs and DVPOs

Domestic Violence Protection Notices (DVPNs) and Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) are short-term police-initiated protection mechanisms, aimed at providing victims with time to plan longer-term strategies to escape abusive relationships. Despite being available in England and Wales since 2014, there is relatively little research regarding their use and effectiveness. This article fills this knowledge gap by providing an empirically based ‘snapshot’ of their use by London’s Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), and considers whether they can be deemed successful in their intended outcomes. It does so against the national and international legal context in which the orders were created and the practices and policies used to deploy them (including: management of risk, protection of human rights and combating violence and abuse against women). It also considers the implications of their replacement with Domestic Abuse Protection Notices (DAPNs) and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs), as foreseen by the new Domestic Abuse Bill.

Bessant, C. (2015). Protecting victims of domestic violence - Have we got the balance right? The Journal of Criminal Law , 79(2), 102–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022018315574820
Bichard . (2004). The Bichard inquiry. House of Commons papers, 656 of HC 2003/04 .
Burton, M. (2009). Civil law remedies for domestic violence: Why are applications for non-molestation orders declining? Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law , 31(2), 109–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/09649060903043497
Burton, M. (2015). Emergency barring orders in domestic violence cases: What can England and Wales learn from other European countries. 27 Child & Family Law Quarterly , 27(1), 25–42.
Byford, L., (Sir) . (1981). The report by Sir Lawrence Byford into the police handling of the Yorkshire Ripper case . Home Office.
Centre for Women’s Justice . (2019, July 27). Centre for women’s justice super-complaint . Police failure to use protective measures in cases involving violence against women and girls. Centre for Women’s Justice. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5aa98420f2e6b1ba0c874e42/t/5c...
College of Policing . (2013). Risk . College of Policing. Retrieved August 09, 2019, from https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/risk-2/
College of Policing . (2018). Risk . College of Policing. Retrieved August 09, 2019, from https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/risk-2/risk/
Council of Europe . (2011). Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violenceAvailable at: https://rm.coe.int/168008482e accessed on 28 April, 2020
Crompton, L. (2013). Domestic violence protection notices and orders: Vulnerable to human rights challenge? Family Law Journal , 43, 1588–1593. https://www.familylaw.co.uk/news_and_comment/dvp-notices-and-orders-...
Dobash, R. P. , & Dobash, R. E. (2004). Women’s violence to men in intimate relationships. Working on a puzzle. British Journal of Criminology , 44(3), 324–349. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azh026
Edwards, S. (1989). Policing domestic violence: women, the law and the state . Sage Publications.
Graca, S. (2017). Domestic violence policy and legislation in the UK: A discussion of immigrant women’s vulnerabilities. European Journal of Current Legal Issues , 23(1). http://webjcli.org/article/view/531/715
Hanmer, J. , Griffiths, S. , & Jerwood, D. (1999). Arresting Evidence: Domestic Violence and Repeat Victimisation. Police Research Series Paper No. 104. London: Home Office
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) . (2014). Everyone’s business: Improving the police response to domestic abuse . HMIC. [Google Scholar]
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) . (2015). (Increasingly everyone’s business: A progress report on the police response to domestic abuse). HMIC.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Services . (2017). A progress report on the police response to domestic abuse . HMICFRS. Retrieved July 12, 2018, from https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/wp-content/uploads/p...
Herring, J . (2019). Family Law . 9th Edition. Pearson Education.
Hester, M. (2006). Making it through the criminal justice system: Attrition and domestic violence. Social Policy and Society , 5(1), 79–90. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746405002769
Hester, M. (2013). Who does what to whom? Gender and domestic violence perpetrators in English police records. European Journal of Criminology , 10(5), 623–637. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370813479078
Hester, M. , & Westmarland, N. (2006). Domestic violence perpetrators. Criminal Justice Matters , 66(1), 34–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/09627250608553400
HMIC . (2017). ‘A progress report on the police response to domestic abuse’. HMICFRS, London. Accessed on 12 July 2018. https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/wp-content/uploads/p...
Home Office . (2011). Call to end violence against women and girls . Home Office. Retrieved August 3, 2019, from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/u...
Home Office . (2012). Call to end violence against women and girls taking action the next chapter . Home Office. Retrieved August 3, 2019, from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/u...
Home Office . (2016a). Domestic Violence protection Order (DVPO) one year on – Home office assessment of national roll out .
Home Office . (2016b). Ending violence against women and girls strategy 2016 – 2020 . Home Office. Retrieved August 3, 2019, from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/u...
Home Office . (2019a, July 26). Domestic abuse bill 2019 domestic abuse protection notice fact sheet . Home Office. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/u...
Home Office . (2019b, August 3). Ending violence against women and girls 2016 – 2020 strategy refresh . Home Office. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/u...
Hoyle, C. (2008). Will she be safe? A critical analysis of risk assessment in domestic violence cases. Children and Youth Services Review , 30(2008), 323–337. Elsevier, Oxford. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2007.10.009
IPCC . (2007). Learning the lessons: Domestic violence . Bulletin 1.
ohnson, M.P. , & A01 (2008). A Typology of Domestic Violence: Intimate Terrorism, Violent Resistance, and Situational Couple Violence. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
Joint Committee on the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill . (2019, July 27). 1st report - Draft domestic abuse bill . Parliament. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt201719/jtselect/jtddab/2075/...
Kelly, L. , Adler, J. R. , Horvath, M. A. , Lovett, J. , Coulson, M. , Kernohan, D. , & Gray, M. (2013). Evaluation of the pilot of domestic violence protection orders . Home Office Science. Home Office. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data...
Kelly, L. , Adler, J. R. , Horvath, M. A. , Lovett, J. , Coulson, M. , Kernohan, D. , & Gray, M. (2016). Evaluation of the pilot of domestic violence protection orders . Home Office Science. Home Office. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/u...
Logar, R. (2005) The Austrian model of intervention in cases of domestic violence. Paper presented at the UN Expert Group Meeting: Violence against women: Good practice in combating and eliminating violence against women, 17–20 May 2005, Vienna 2005.
Macpherson, W., (Sir) . (1999). The Stephen Lawrence inquiry . HMSO.
Maxwell, C. , Garner, J. , & Fagan, A. (2001). The effects of arrest on intimate partner violence: New evidence from the spouse assault replication program (U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs).
Ministry of Justice. (2018). ‘Dapo consultation’. Accessed on 21 August 2018. https://consult.justice.gov.uk/homeoffice-moj/domestic-abuse-consult...
MPS . Guidance document – Guidance on DVPNs and DVPOs for MPS officers and staff (Metropolitan Police Service, London Accessed from MPS intranet). (Revised April 2017).
Myhill, A. (2015). Measuring coercive control: What can we learn from national population surveys? Violence against Women , 21(3), 355–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801214568032
Myhill, A. (2016). Risk Identification in cases of domestic abuse (Evaluation of a pilot project). College Of Policing.
Myhill, A. (2017). Measuring domestic violence: Context is everything. Journal of Gender-Based Violence , 1(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.1332/239868017X14896674831496 ,
Office for National Statistics (ONS) . (2018). Domestic abuse in England and Wales: Year ending March 2018 . Office for National Statistics. Retrieved July 26, 2019, from https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/...
Office, Home. (2019). ‘Transforming the Response to Domestic Abuse: Consultation Response and Draft Bill’. Accessed on 28 April 2020. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/u...
Ouwerkerk, J. , & Van Der Aa, S . (2011). ‘the european protection order: no time to waste or a waste of time? European journal of crime, criminal law and criminal justice,19 (4), 267 –287. https://doi.org/10.1163/157181711X587774
Richards, L. , Letchford, S. , & Stratton, S. (2008). Policing domestic violence . Oxford University Press.
Robinson, A. , Pinchevsky, G. , & Guthrie, G. (2018). A small constellation: Risk factors informing police perceptions of domestic abuse. Policing and Society , 28(2), 189–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2016.1151881
Slovic, P. (2010). The feeling of risk - New perspectives on risk perception . Earthscan.
Stark, E . (2007). Coercive control: how men entrap women in personal life . Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]
Stark, E. , & Hester, M . (2019). ‘coercive control: update and review’. Violence against women, 25(1), 81–104.
Thornton, S. (2017). Police attempts to predict domestic murder and serious assault: Is early warning possible yet. Cambridge Journal of Evidence-Based Policing , 1(2–3), 64–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41887-017-0011-1
Thorpe, A. (2008). Immigration – Domestic violence . House of Commons Library. Standard Note SN/HA/4644. [Google Scholar]
UnitedNations. (1979). ‘Convention On the elimination of all forms of discrimination against Women’. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/cedaw.aspx accessed on 28 April, 2020.
UnitedNations. (1993). ‘Declaration On the elimination of violence against Women’. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/violenceagainstw... accessed on 28 April, 2020.
UnitedNations. (1995). ‘Beijing Declaration and platform for action’ available at: https://www.un.org/en/events/pastevents/pdfs/Beijing_Declaration_and... accessed on 28 April, 2020
Walby, S. , & Towers, J. (2017, May). Measuring violence to end violence: Mainstreaming gender. Journal of Gender-Based Violence , 1(1), 11–31. https://doi.org/10.1332/239868017X14913081639155
Walby, S. , Towers, J. , & Francis, B . (2014). 'mainstreaming domestic and gender-based violence into sociology and the criminology of violence'. The Sociological Review , 62(S2), 187–214. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-954X.12198
WiBIG . (2004). ‘Evaluation research on intervention projects against domestic violence’. (German acronym: WiBIG) Volume b: State intervention in domestic violence - evolution of police and public prosecution service practice in the context of intervention projects against domestic violence. University of Osnabrück
Women’s Aid . (2018, August 15). Survival and beyond: The domestic abuse report 2017 . https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/what-is-domestic-ab...