Alistair Bradley the Labour Leader of Chorley Borough Council supports calls for Lancashire’s Tory Police & Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden to reverse his decision to not continue to fund Domestic Homicide Reviews in the county.
The Tory in charge of Lancashire Police has recently seemed to have taken the unilateral decision to withdraw vital funding for Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) which are crucial to preventing the increasing amount of domestic violence and homicides inflicted primarily on Lancashire’s women and girls.
The decision apparently taken at very short notice and with a lack of discussion with partners, has been openly criticised by many of Lancashire’s Community Safety partnerships, local councils and residents. The removal of this funding simply seems to pass the significant cost on to those partners such as local authorities and others, who already contribute significant staffing and other resources to the work. It is particularly telling that those calling for a reversal of the decision include Conservative-controlled councils across Lancashire.
Rather than simply making this cut, I personally believe that Mr Snowden should listen to those who know what they are talking about and work with them to ensure this vital service is not damaged by his rash action.
It is evident that the government in Westminster supplies monies to the Police and Crime Commissioner to gain evidence of the actions that lead to Domestic Violence and in some cases ultimately tragic deaths. The Commissioner claims to be taking this issue seriously, yet those undertaking this work appear to believe his actions will increase the risks to members of the community.
I urge him to reconsider his position immediately and support the victims of Domestic Violence in our County.