Domestic abuse victims put at risk by police funding cut, Tories claim
Police chiefs have been accused of putting domestic violence victims at risk by cutting vital support funding.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Jamieson has come under fire after his deputy, Waheed Saleem, announced the £200,000 Victims Fund would this year be aimed at hate crime support organisations.
The annual fund has previously helped groups dealing with domestic abuse victims, including Sikh Women’s Action Network (SWAN), The Sharan Project, Beyond the Horizon, and the Churches Housing Association of Dudley and District (CHADD).
Bosses at SWAN say they will be forced to lay off three case workers after seeing their £20,000 share of the fund cut, reducing support for vulnerable victims.
Domestic violence has surged to record levels during the pandemic, with with West Midlands Police dealing with nearly 22,000 cases in 2020-21 – more than a fifth of all crime.
Tories across the region have urged the Labour PCC to reconsider the decision.
West Bromwich East MP Nicola Richards, said: “Hate Crime is a scourge that needs to be treated with the upmost importance - but while I’m pleased with the police's renewed focus on this issue, it cannot happen to the detriment of victims of domestic abuse.
"This is the latest decision that follows a worrying trend to not take domestic violence as seriously as it should be. In West Bromwich East alone 1,284 children are growing up in a household with domestic violence.
"They need help and support but this is put at risk by the Labour PCC’s bizarre spending choices.
"I therefore urge David Jamieson and his colleagues to think again, find other ways of bolstering the response to hate crime in the West Midlands without taking away support from victims of domestic violence."
Jay Singh-Sohal, the Conservative candidate for PCC in May's election, said: "With a significant rise in domestic abuse during the Covid pandemic disproportionately affecting people from diverse communities, it's appalling that the Labour PCC would decide to cut support for victims at a time when they need it the most – particularly when increased government funding and his increase to the local police precept means he should prioritise and fund it.
"As PCC I will support victims of domestic abuse and cut wasteful roles in the PCCs office to ensure more help goes towards supporting grassroots groups that provide invaluable help for vulnerable victims."
A spokesman for PCC said the allocation from the Ministry of Justice that he allocates to domestic abuse charities had nearly doubled since 2016.
He denied cash was being taken away from domestic abuse services to support hate crime, adding: "Instead of trying to divert from Ministry of Justice budget cuts, the PCC urges MPs to join his campaign to reverse government funding cuts to victims services."
