To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Metropolitan Police Service and other police forces properly investigate and take action in cases of forced marriage and honour based violence; and what assessment they have made of whether police officers, such as DS Pal Singh, who make allegations of inaction by the police should be protected by whistleblowing legislation.
Answered on
20 March 2017
So-called 'Honour-based' violence (HBV), including forced marriage, is a terrible form of abuse, and this Government is clear that we will not allow political or cultural sensitivities to get in the way of tackling it. No-one should suffer because of who they are or what community they are born into.
Ending these brutal practices in all their forms is a key priority for this Government and HBV is a key part of our violence against women and girls strategy published in March 2016.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary’s recent report into HBV found some areas of good practice. However, it also raised some serious concerns about the police’s handling of these issues. We are absolutely committed to ensuring that the police response is as good as it can be, and we want to see more victims coming forward. We have significantly strengthened the law on forced marriage and Female Genital Mutilation, our Forced Marriage and FGM Units are carrying out ongoing programmes of outreach for professionals and communities, including the police, and the Home Secretary is chairing a National Oversight Group to drive progress against HMIC's recommendations.
We know there is more to do and we will continue to work with the police, Crown Prosecution Service and others to drive progress, including hosting a Ministerially chaired roundtable on HBV on 15 March.
The Government is committed to ensuring that those working for the police have the confidence to come forward to report concerns of malpractice and misconduct in their own forces. This includes ensuring that measures are in place to protect and support police “whistle-blowers” when they come forward, and that the systems for reporting and investigating their concerns are effective.
In 2015 the Government made changes to the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2012 to give police whistle-blowers further express protection from unfair disciplinary action or repercussions. The Policing and Crime Act 2017 further increase protections for whistle-blowers providing an additional avenue for individuals in the police to raise concerns with confidence, free from any fear of a detrimental effect on their career or reputation.