Domestic Abuse: Suicide
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking in response to the Domestic Homicide Project's finding of 150 suspected domestic abuse-related suicides in England and Wales; and whether the government plans to update police guidance on investigating sudden deaths where there is a history of domestic abuse.
Answered by Home Office
This Government is committed to tackling the most severe and heartbreaking outcomes of violence and abuse, including suicides and sudden or unexplained deaths that occur following domestic abuse. It is vital that police officers understand the link between domestic abuse and suicide, and we are already taking steps to improve the police response.
The Home Office funds the Domestic Homicide Project to capture information on these deaths from police forces in England and Wales and identify how the response can be improved. The Project and the College of Policing published new national policing guidance last year, highlighting the importance of considering any history of domestic abuse and applying professional curiosity at the scene of these deaths. The guidance can be found at the following link: https://www.college.police.uk/app/domestic-abuse/associated-investigations-appendix#unexpected-death-b68232bf-2c44-4802-96e9-9d06e3a71c36.
The Home Office continues to work with the police to monitor the implementation of this guidance and has commissioned deep dives with select police forces to examine how the police are responding to suicides and unexplained deaths that follow domestic abuse following its introduction.
Additionally, the Home Office recognises the devastating impact of these deaths on families. That is why we fund the organisation Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse to support families bereaved by suicide following domestic abuse.
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