Elliot Colburn – 2023 Parliamentary Question on Prosecution Rates for Domestic Abuse

The parliamentary question asked by Elliot Colburn, the Conservative MP for Carshalton and Wallington, in the House of Commons on 1 February 2023.

Elliot Colburn (Carshalton and Wallington) (Con)

What steps she is taking to help increase the rate of prosecutions for domestic abuse.

The Attorney General (Victoria Prentis)

We are committed to increasing the volume of prosecutions and supporting more victims. We enacted new provisions to increase the time that victims have to report domestic abuse offences to ensure that we bring more offenders to justice.

Elliot Colburn

Despite Carshalton and Wallington being a relatively safe part of London, domestic violence rates there are higher than the London average. Local charities such as Sutton Women’s Centre do a great job in training people to spot the signs, but what assurance can the Attorney General give me that CPS staff have access to that same training to bring that level of crime down?

The Attorney General

I thank Sutton Women’s Centre for its fantastic work in training the community to spot the signs of domestic abuse. All prosecutors in London are now domestic abuse trained. Close working with the police should continue to increase the rate of prosecutions.