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Standing Together Against Violence

Women in Hammersmith and Fulham are benefiting from an innovative scheme to combat the incidence of domestic violence in the local community.

The 'Standing Together' project, run jointly by the Criminal Justice Agencies, voluntary groups such as Hammersmith Women's Aid and Hammersmith and Fulham Council is just one of a diverse range of over thirty Crime Reduction programmes in operation across the city which GOL has introduced through the Crime Reduction Programme. These projects strive to target hate and race crime, vehicle crime, as well as drug offences and burglary.

The Hammersmith and Fulham Standing Together project aims to deliver a co-ordinated response to domestic violence incidents from the point that the Police are called through to final court proceedings. The project, which has secured funding of over £200,000 to March 2003, has had visits from overseas groups from Jordan, China and Australia.

There are two strands to the initiative. Through 'Making the Law Work for Women' the project aims to support women through the legal processes - liaison is provided on a daily basis through a Police Executive Officer who keeps in contact with the Courts, the Crown Prosecution Service and other bodies involved. This strand also provides the Police with emergency phones to give to high-risk victims, and cameras for enhanced evidence gathering. The 'Health Project' strand has set up multi-disciplinary teams within Charing Cross Accident and Emergency Department and at two walk-in centres at Health Centres in Charing Cross and Parsons Green. Staffs at all three sites are specially trained to screen for domestic violence.

Support in the local community is strong with groups such as the London Probation Service, the Community Law Centre, Charing Cross Hospital, Women's Aid groups and the Domestic Violence Intervention Project working together. As part of a staff training programme for these organisations, a Survivors Consultative Group has been set up to evaluate women's experiences of the Police, the Courts, Health Services and other key agencies, in order to feed their responses directly into the training of members of these organisations.

One woman who has benefited from the scheme explained:

'It's all quiet at the moment. I have heard nothing from him for two months now, but if he starts to bother me again I feel more confident in asking for help through the criminal justice system'.

Further Information

If you would like more information on the Standing Together project, or other Crime Reduction programmes currently operating through Government Office for London, please contact:

John Preuth : jpreuth.gol@go-regions.gsi.gov.uk.