Gwent Police is cutting its Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit after facing criticism for its handling of domestic violence.
The force said frontline officers will receive frequent training on how to deal with domestic abuse cases, instead of having a dedicated unit.
A report by HM Inspectorate of the Constabulary (HMIC) investigated how forces across England and Wales dealt with domestic abuse and found that Gwent had “no robust procedures in place to ensure that repeat and vulnerable victims can be consistently identified.”
It criticised the low number of arrests. Sixty percent of recorded domestic abuse crimes result in arrests and 23% result in criminal charges.
The report stated: “The force cannot be confident that all victims of domestic abuse get the best available service at the earliest opportunity.”
Despite comprehensive guidance for officers dealing with domestic abuse, HMIC said assessment of risks to victims was inconsistent – with some officers not using the guidelines viewing them as bureaucratic.
In the Gwent Police area, domestic abuse accounts for 11% of all crime and HMIC said the specialist workforce that helps victims is unable to deal with the high workload.
It said: “The high workload within the specialist team means that not all cases are dealt with by the specialist investigators and victim support staff.
“There is a lack of clarity as to which cases they deal with, and in what the role of local teams is in supporting victims. Even some high-risk victims may not be getting the level of service they need.”
A Gwent Police spokesperson said it welcomed the report and that improvements had already been identified in an internal review.
They said: “We found that having a specialist team to deal with all domestic abuse investigations did not consistently provide a better service for victims and was unsustainable.
“Our plan now is to move forward by delivering better and more frequent training to all front line officers and staff.
“This change will mean that local officers will deal with reports of domestic abuse which will provide better consistency in the risk assessment process and supervision of cases.”
They added that a small specialist team will be kept within the Public Protection Unit to support victims in high-risk cases.
Ian Johnston, Gwent’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Following the inspection and its own internal review, Gwent Police Force has reassessed the way it has been responding to and dealing with victims of domestic abuse.
“I will be studying the report from HMIC in great detail and I will continue to work with the Chief Constable to improve the service provided to victims of domestic abuse.”
Tina Reece, Policy and Campaigns Officer for Welsh Women’s Aid said the charity had contacted the Police and Crime Commissioner to ask for a meeting to discuss Gwent Police’s domestic abuse policy.
She added: “What Gwent Police have done so far hasn’t worked so a commitment to training of front line police officers is something we would welcome.”