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Victim testimonies in the recently published Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce report have revealed that a lack of trust in institutions has become a "barrier" to reporting – with concerns that "emotional abuse isn't seen as serious enough for the police".
The police have accepted the relevant recommendations, committing to "continuously improving our ability to further build victim trust".
The publication of the VAWG report outlined 77 key recommendations to tackle the "very real" issue of violence against women and girls in Jersey.
WATCH: A breakdown of the VAWG report. (Warning: contains descriptions of sexual assault, assault, and other forms of violence against women)
Many of these, some of them listed below, were relevant to policing:
States of Jersey Police should publish their procedure for managing concerns about police behaviour, including disciplinary processes and actions.
Officers should receive training on how to manage conflicts of interest.
States police should publish their policy for managing conflicts of interest within the police service.
Police data on number of calls, who makes reports and what actions are taken should be reviewed to identify if there any differences in how the police services respond to reports made by men and women.
The force announced that they have accepted these recommendations and begun work to put them into practice.
This comes after over 30 victim-survivors submitted testimonies to the VAWG taskforce regarding their treatment by police and the courts.
One victim-survivor said: "There's a deep lack of proactivity, you have to reach crisis point and then you are credible, emotional abuse isn't seen as serious enough for the police.
"I had a prior experience with a hit and run, where a motorbike literally crashed into my car outside the police station, I called the police, I gathered the CCTV, I found three witnesses, I had a lot of evidence and they still didn't do anything, so when he was so controlling I thought 'they didn't take a car crash seriously how are they going to take his behaviour seriously' [when] I didn't have any evidence."
According to the report, a number of the women who spoke to researchers described being reassured by friends, family and other professionals that the police would take their report seriously, only to find that they did not receive the support or protection they needed upon making a disclosure.
Pictured: A total of 34 victim-survivors of these types of crimes submitted testimonies to the taskforce, and there were focus groups with over 50.
One victim-survivor said: "A police lady came to see me, there had been nine reports of verbal abuse in just eight weeks, the lady came and she was great but you could tell she was frightened [of the perpetrator].
"There were other police officers who I saw laughing with my ex outside of my door, they just went along with all his stories."
Sometimes, police do not have the power to remove a suspected perpetrator of domestic abuse from the residence of the victim whilst they investigate.
Another victim-survivor testified: "When I contacted the police they finally went to see him and told me he said he wouldn't do anything again.
"About two weeks after, he threw a paving block through the windscreen of my car."
Another said: "There's a fear of retribution, not for him, but for yourself, if your name got out there, it would be harder to get jobs in Jersey, the island is really small, and there is a long history of the police not processing those accusations well, I worked with someone who had that experience.
"I don't want to go through all that, you need protection for yourself."
Even someone who works in specialist services said: "A huge barrier to reporting is lack of confidentiality, we're a small island community, there is a fear that you'll know the policeman, a huge fear of being identified."
Conflict of interest is one of the most common problems, because Jersey's small island context can make processing cases difficult.
One victim-survivor said: "I spoke to the police about historic abuse and I spoke to other people who had the same perpetrator, a close friend was also abused by him but they wouldn't come forward because the police officer that was dealing with the case, they were best friends and she didn't want to rock the boat".
Another said: "He was following women, children, older people, I knew he was dangerous and I was calling the police on a daily basis about him, but they told me off for telling people about his past crimes, they said I'd be in more trouble than him if I continued to warn people about him – I'd be up on a harassment charge."
The report concluded that the small nature of the community makes it crucial for police officers to carry out additional work to build the confidence and trust of women and marginalised communities.
Responding to the findings, Police Chief Robin Smith said: "We wholeheartedly welcome the report and accept the recommendations.
"We are committed to fostering a safer and more inclusive community for all islanders. Whilst many of the recommendations here have been or are in the process of being actioned, we recognise the importance of constantly striving to improve our service to victims and witnesses.
"We have made great strides in recent years and I'm confident that we are moving in the right direction."
Pictured: Police Chief Robin Smith.
Detective Inspector Huw Williams, who served on the taskforce along with Detective Superintendent Alison Fossey, said that his involvement had allowed the force to "get ahead of some of the recommendations" and begin incorporating them into a comprehensive action plan which which"specifically addresses VAWG focuses in three strategy areas".
"These are building trust and confidence with victims, relentlessly pursuing perpetrators, and creating safe spaces for the community," he added.
Speaking to Express, Mr Williams continued: "The public deserve not just an action plan or a few words around a strategy. They need to see action. Actions speak louder than words, and I'm proud to say that we've already put new processes in place.
"We're working much closer with the Law Officers' Department around seeking legal and investigative advice in respect to cases, particularly complex cases, much earlier, to give them the best chance of success. We're also becoming a lot more offender-centric, holding offenders to account, while remaining victim-focused.
"There has also been a huge uplift in training, which includes 'Approach to Victims of Sexual Offences' training for officers, front-line staff and support staff, Sexual Offences Liaison Officer training for uniformed officers, Specialist Sexual Assault Investigation Development training for detectives, and Special Measures and Pre-trial therapy training for police with the Law Officer's Department."
WATCH: The live announcement of the VAWG report.
He added: "This report has given us an invaluable opportunity to take another look at ourselves, and give us a good health check, and I share and welcome the recommended review of the criminal justice system."
There has also been a conflict of Interest and other policies developed to aid victim confidence and safe reporting to aid with the small-island context.
Mr Williams said: "If there is a conflict of interest, our officers need to know the procedure for that. Previously it was an unwritten rule, but now it will be policy that if you know or are related to the victim in any way, then you will have to declare that."
A statement from the police concluded: "We acknowledge that there is still work to be done, but we are steadfast in our determination to tackle violence against women and girls.
"This will be a key priority in the 2024 Policing Plan as it was in the 2023 Policing Plan."
You can read the full VAWG report here.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, please see links below for support:
Jersey Domestic Abuse Support: 880505
JAAR – Jersey Action Against Rape: 482800
Dewberry House Sexual Assault Referral Centre: 888222
FREEDA (formerly Jersey Women's Refuge): freephone 0800 7356836
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