Our door is open to tackle domestic abuse

Cheshire police officers are working with Crimestoppers to help you help us to tackle domestic abuse.

As a bystander, family member, colleague or friend you may feel helpless when you know someone is a victim of domestic abuse. We are holding a series of Our Door Is Open roadshows along with partners from criminal justice and health, victim support and advocacy service. 

The roadshows will give people the opportunity to talk to us and ask for advice about how to ‘ask the question’, how to support someone they care about, how to report anonymously and what happens next.

The roadshows are being held at:

• Golden Square Shopping Centre, Warrington on Thursday April 29 - 10am-4pm

• Shopping City, Runcorn on Saturday May 8 - 10am-4pm

• Grosvenor Shopping Centre, Chester on Friday June 4 - 10am-4pm  

• The Market Shopping Centre, Crewe on Saturday June 12 - 10am-4pm 

Detective Sergeant David Thomason heads Cheshire Constabulary’s Harm Reduction Unit. He explains: “Tackling domestic abuse is one of the Constabulary’s main priorities. This type of crime has a terrible impact on victims, and creates a ripple effect throughout families and friends. The aim of our roadshows is to advise people on the signs to look out for and how they can then support a potential victim.

“It isn’t just women who can be victims, men can also experience domestic abuse. And it might not be physical, but could be psychological, sexual, financial or emotional. We are hoping that the information we can give at our roadshows will help signpost family and friends to enable them to get help for anyone they know who may be suffering this kind of behaviour.

“As they are being held in public places where anonymity could be compromised, the roadshows are not an ideal opportunity to actually make formal reports – I would recommend these are made by calling on 101 (always dial 999 in an emergency situation), online via our website at www.cheshire.police.uk or at one of our helpdesks. You can also make a report to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or through the Crimestoppers website. Information will then be passed from them to the police who, with partners, may be able to intervene without the suspected abuser’s knowledge to check the potential victim is OK”.

 More information from Crimestoppers is available here - 

https://crimestoppers-uk.org/campaigns-media/campaigns/domestic-abuse-is-happening-in-cheshire

How do you know if someone is a victim of domestic abuse? Warning signs include:

• Their partner puts them down in front of other people
• They are constantly worried about making their partner angry
• They make excuses for their partner’s behaviour
• Their partner is extremely jealous or possessive
• They have unexplained marks or injuries
• They’ve stopped spending time with friends and family
• They are depressed or anxious, or you notice changes in their personality

You may be a neighbour who may have seen or heard:

• Threatening and intimidating arguments, which may involve violent language or escalate to smashing up the furniture
• Arguments where the partner blames the other for their actions, saying they are “asking for it” or deserve the abuse
• Individuals with bruising or other visible marks, which may have been caused by physical abuse