Detective Constable Natalie Passano of the RGP’s Domestic Abuse Team has just returned  from a one-week attachment with the Thames Valley Police’s Domestic Abuse Unit.  

A statement from the RGP follows below:

One her first day at Reading Police Station, Natalie was present when a victim arrived at the  station to report a history of abuse. The woman described her experiences of assaults, false  imprisonment, rapes, threats to kill and examples of coercive and controlling behaviour. This  first interview with a police officer was made particularly difficult because the frightened  

woman was a Chinese national, so the highly emotional interview could only be carried out  with the assistance of a police interpreter. 

Natalie also spent some time at the police station in Windsor, where she joined a multi agency conference aiming to provide support for victims of abuse. Around the table were  representatives of housing agencies, children’s services, care workers, social workers and,  of course, members of the Thames Valley Police Domestic Abuse Unit. 

At other times, Natalie was briefed by officers who were specialists in fields, such as stalking  and even strangulation and suffocation. 

The attachment to Thames Valley had particular significance because Gibraltar is about to  introduce new legislation, which will be similar to that which is already in place in the UK. 

This new legislation to tackle domestic abuse, includes a new offence targeting Coercive  and Controlling Behaviour. Examples of such behaviour are: isolating a person from their  friends and family, depriving them of their basic needs, taking control over aspects of their  everyday life, such as where they can go, who they can see, what to wear and when they  can sleep and repeatedly putting them down, such as telling them they are worthless.  

Gibraltar’s new legislation will also include Domestic Abuse Protection Notices/Orders, which  give senior police officers the power, in urgent circumstances, to require that a person leave  his or her residence.  

“The attachment to Thames Valley Police gave me an excellent insight into the work of a  very large Domestic Abuse Unit in a highly populated area of southern England,” said  Natalie, who has worked in the RGP’s Domestic Abuse team for two years.  

“As we are about to have new legislation in Gibraltar, it was particularly useful to see the way  that police officers use similar legislation in UK.” 

“But, the RGP continues to share the same objectives as its counterparts in Thames Valley – we always aim to bring perpetrators to justice and to support the victims of these heinous  crimes.” 

If you are a victim of domestic abuse, or know anyone that is, you can contact the RGP’s  domestic abuse team in confidence on: 

• DAT: 200 67001  
• Email: [email protected] 

• Mobile/WhatsApp: 54086014