North Yorkshire Police is “committed” to tackling the “completely unacceptable abuse of women and girls” in the county, the force’s assistant chief constable said.

Catherine Clarke’s pledge comes after a National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) report found that violence against women and girls has reached “epidemic levels” in England and Wales.

Deputy chief constable Maggie Blythe, the NPCC’s lead for violence against women and girls, explained that the NPCC has seen a 37 per cent increase in recorded violence against women and girls related crimes from 2018/19 to 2022/23.

The NPCC estimates that at least one in every 12 women will be a victim of violence against women every year (two million victims), she said, and one in 20 adults in England and Wales will be a perpetrator of violence against women and girls every year (2.3 million perpetrators).

“These are cautious estimates as we know much crime goes unreported and in policing, we often only see the tip of the iceberg," Ms Blythe said.

The report says a “coherent and robust whole-system approach” is needed to prevent violence against girls and women from happening in the first place.

This approach, it explains, would involve police forces working in partnership with agencies, charities and the private sector to prevent initial harm, its escalation and impact, both behind closed doors and in public spaces.

'We are committed to tackling this completely unacceptable abuse of women and girls,' says North Yorkshire Police chief

Ms Clarke said the NPCC’s report “makes stark reading” and “refers to the unprecedented demand on policing”, adding: “It recommends a ‘whole system approach’ and that would be very welcome.”

“Violence against women and girls presents a serious threat that has devastating consequences for its victims, survivors and society,” she said.

“It remains a foremost strategic priority for North Yorkshire Police and we are committed to tackling this completely unacceptable abuse of women and girls both in our communities, online and where it exists within policing.”

Ms Clarke said North Yorkshire Police’s arrest rate for domestic abuse is twice the national average, and the force has introduced specialist teams including a dedicated stalking team and safeguarding investigation teams.

“We remain totally committed to improving our response and service to victims in the future and have begun the implementation of Operation Soteria to transform how we investigate rape and serious sexual assault, and will soon be carrying out a VAWG [violence against women and girls] self-assessment that will help shape our future strategy,” she added.

“The police cannot tackle violence against women and girls alone, that is why we work closely with, and value our partner agencies and the invaluable work they do alongside us.”

Going forward, a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said the force will be conducting a self-assessment against the Policing Violence Against Women and Girls National Framework for Delivery: 2024 to 2027.

Once complete, they said, this will “help to inform and refresh” the force’s violence against women and girls strategy for 2024 to 2027.