My name is Lesley Valentine and I have been a Police Officer for 26 years. I have worked in many departments and I have liked all of them but I enjoy this job the most. These are the reasons why:

My job is to support and work with anyone experiencing domestic abuse who is over the age of 18 years. There are other officers and agencies that work with children experiencing domestic abuse, but research shows that if we protect the victim we nearly always protect the children. For example, if I was to work with your Mum in order to stop domestic abuse then you would not have to worry about protecting her and/or yourself and maybe other brother and sisters. It is very hard for victims to ask for help because they worry about what will happen, so we aim to support the victim and what is best for them.

I am sure that many of you will think about punching and kicking, but what about other types of abuse. I look at any incident of threatening behaviour, acts of violence or abuse whether psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional. Most victims do not get hit until they say ‘no’. I visit victims wherever it is safe to do so and devise a safety plan with them according to their circumstances

I consider whether they need an alarm, police patrols to check on them, or to move house. My colleagues and I take women and their children to a safe house/ refuge if they need and wish to.

If a crime has been committed such as punching, kicking or strangling, and the victim tells us about it, the offender would be arrested and dealt with as it is a serious crime. I would then support the victim of the crime and make sure they were safe. If they have to give evidence in court, then we show them around the court to prepare them for the day. I keep victims updated on the case, any bail conditions and the offender. I can apply for special screens that surround the offender, so the victim does not need to see or hear them. I collect and take the victim and friends or family to court for the hearing and go in with them when they give evidence. Most victims say that initially they were very nervous but were glad they had their say in court and were able to tell their side of the story.

I meet with other agencies such as health and housing in order to best support victims and make sure we are all working towards the same aim.

Lots of victims also go to solicitors for injunctions and other such orders so that they are protected. If an injunction has a power of arrest on it, the police can deal with any breach. That is where the person on whom the order is served breaks the rules that the judge has made. The police arrest the offender and place them back before the judge. I make sure that all the right paperwork is with solicitors and that they know about what has happened.

Many people experiencing domestic abuse make changes to their lives every year and so protect themselves and their children. It is great for me to see this happen with whatever help I have been able to give.

I hope to stay in this job for a while yet.

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