A Safer Future for Women and Girls: Reporting
Part 3
Part 3
One fifth of all police-recorded crime was related to VAWG in 2022-23, and as victims are often reluctant to share their experiences, reported crime does not reflect the true extent of crime committed21.
Policing has been committed to improving the reporting process, with a stronger focus on victim care. Advances in mobile technology now enable faster reporting methods, reducing delays and improving outcomes for victims. These innovations support a more responsive and victim-centred approach.
Rapid Video Response (RVR) is an immediate, but optional, video response service for domestic abuse calls. In 2022, Kent Police originally trialled and applied a Randomised Control Trial for RVR. The trial found it saved one hour and 23 minutes of officer time per incident case compared to traditional physical responses and the time taken to speak to an officer was also drastically reduced, from approximately 33 hours to just three minutes. Victim satisfaction also increased by 11%. RVR technology has now been rolled out across the Eastern Region and other forces throughout the UK. The 2025 VAWG strategy has allocated funding to deliver an RVR model across forces by Spring 2026.
KPP is a free and easily accessible software which enables users to upload evidence from a wide range of file types to the Kulpa cloud24. This encourages victims to upload, store and share legally admissible evidence quickly. It was first introduced in the domestic abuse investigation safeguarding unit to quickly obtain digital forensic evidence and has now been rolled out to other units within the force.
Evaluation is ongoing but early findings suggest a reduction in the number of repeat victims as evidence can be logged and immediately usable for each incident – allowing the force to reach the thresholds required for prosecution25.
TecSAFE is a mobile safeguarding solution managed by PDS. Through a unique emergency protocol, TecSAFE calls get connected directly to police, where officers can access real-time tracking capabilities and gather intelligence about both the victim and the perpetrator22. The information is viewable in any police control room of any force that has adopted the technology, ensuring a consistent and efficient response across forces where the service is live.
This technology enables an effective and intelligence-led police response across the UK in support of vulnerable individuals, including victims of domestic abuse, stalking, harassment and other related crimes.
38 forces have now adopted TecSAFE, with other forces at varying stages of implementation.
The 2025 Cross-Government VAWG strategy has committed to introducing mandatory vetting standards for officers, suspending those under investigation for VAWG offences and a requirement to always hold vetting clearance.
A pilot conducted by North Yorkshire Police would support these commitments23. The force trialled a continuous, automated Integrity Screening of 3000 employees against a national intelligence database. This circumvented the issue of relying on employees to declare their misconduct or waiting for periodic (and lengthy) vetting intervals. This provided proactive risk management and strengthened police accountability, with 18 cases referred for further investigation.
TecSAFE is a mobile safeguarding solution managed by PDS. Through a unique emergency protocol, TecSAFE calls get connected directly to police, where officers can access real-time tracking capabilities and gather intelligence about both the victim and the perpetrator22. The information is viewable in any police control room of any force that has adopted the technology, ensuring a consistent and efficient response across forces where the service is live.
This technology enables an effective and intelligence-led police response across the UK in support of vulnerable individuals, including victims of domestic abuse, stalking, harassment and other related crimes.
32 forces have now adopted TecSAFE.
The 2025 Cross-Government VAWG strategy has committed to introducing mandatory vetting standards for officers, suspending those under investigation for VAWG offences and a requirement to always hold vetting clearance.
A pilot conducted by North Yorkshire Police would support these commitments23. The force trialled a continuous, automated Integrity Screening of 3000 employees against a national intelligence database. This circumvented the issue of relying on employees to declare their misconduct or waiting for periodic (and lengthy) vetting intervals. This provided proactive risk management and strengthened police accountability, with 18 cases referred for further investigation.
21. National Audit Office, Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, 2025, https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/tackling-violence-against-women-and-girls.pdf.
22. Police Digital Service, TECSafe – Frontline Digital Application, n.d., https://pds.police.uk/welcome/pds-service-catalogue/frontline-digital-applications/tecsafe/.
23. Crest Research, A New Era of Trust in Policing, 2025, https://crestresearch.ac.uk/comment/a-new-era-of-trust-in-policing/.
24. Kulpa Limited, Kulpa: Secure Evidence Storage and Sharing Platform for Victims and Witnesses, 2025, https://www.kulpacloud.com/.
25. College of Policing, Kulpa Police Platform: KPP Verify and Authenticate Digital Forensic Evidence, 2024, https://www.college.police.uk/support-forces/practices/kulpa-police-platform-kpp-verify-and-authenticate-digital-forensic-evidence.
