Domestic Abuse Support

Domestic abuse – are you worried about someone?

West Midlands Police understand that staying at home might be particularly difficult for some people.  

Home is supposed to be the safest place for us all right now, but if you are experiencing domestic abuse then the advice to stay at home could be frightening.

If you know someone whose family or partner is threatening them, controlling their behaviour or being violent, this is domestic abuse and West Midlands Police can help.

There are lots of types of domestic abuse.  Someone might be:

• Hurting someone
• Controlling their money or stopping access to it
• Controlling where they go, when and who you they talk to
• Making threats towards them or the people they care about

Right now, they might be taking advantage of the COVID-19 situation by:

• Trying to stop someone leaving the house for fresh air or essentials (please use gov.uk/coronavirus for the current government advice on staying safe and who needs to isolate)
• They might be trying to stop someone having contact with family and friends via phone, text or video messaging, all of which are safe to do - even if people have to self-isolate

None of this behaviour is okay.

Now more than ever we are being asked to look after one another. If you suspect a friend or family member is being abused please encourage them to get in contact.

If someone is in immediate danger and their life is threatened, they should dial 999 and an officers will be sent to them as soon as possible.

Domestic abuse can be reported to online: west-midlands.police.uk. It’s easy to use and could be safer than calling.

Anyone can webchat WMP staff easily via the website for help and advice without having to talk to someone on the phone.

There’s also a list of local charities for anyone you think might need help here west-midlands.police.uk/your-options/domestic-abuse

They are not alone.