Bedfordshire Police to pilot Raneem’s Law

Bedfordshire Police is one of five police forces who are the first to pilot Raneem’s Law, a new scheme that will see an independent domestic abuse advisor embedded in the Force Control Room, offering expert advice, specialist support and working to identify missed opportunities to properly safeguard victims.

The initiative was established in memory of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in August 2018, after a number of reports were made to police relating to her safety.

The force was chosen to pioneer this new approach to improve the police response to victims of domestic abuse, alongside Humberside, Northamptonshire, Northumbria and West Midlands police forces.

This is part of the Government’s mission to better protect victims, pursue perpetrators and halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

The domestic abuse advisor will ensure that calls for help are properly assessed, managed and responded to and their role will include:

• Providing advice to officers responding to incidents on the ground

• Reviewing incoming domestic abuse cases and their risk assessments
• Listening in to live calls and providing feedback to call handlers on victim engagement
• Facilitating training sessions on domestic abuse for force control room staff
• Ensuring victims are referred to specialist support services
• Using expertise and understanding to manually check over the decisions made by 999 call handlers and identifying any missed opportunities to safeguard victims
• Supporting the use of innovative technology such as responding to victims via video call

Detective Chief Superintendent Zara Brown said: “We are pleased to introduce Raneem’s Law to Bedfordshire as it is an important initiative which will enhance the way we respond to victims of domestic abuse or violence.

“Having a dedicated independent domestic violence advisor based in our control room is a crucial step toward better support and intervention. 

“This will help ensure that the victim receives a more informed and effective response from the start. It also allows for real time quality assurance and expert guidance, which could make a real difference in safeguarding victims.

“We know that people are living with abuse and in fear and we want to help provide them with the confidence to walk away. Whether you are experiencing abuse yourself, or you are worried for someone you know, there is always help available.”

Find out more about domestic abuse, the support available and how you can report at the dedicated pages on our website.