Every week two women are killed as the result of domestic abuse and domestic violence accounts for one in six of all violent incidents reported to the police. Unlike many other crimes, the prevalence of domestic violence has not fallen in recent years. In response to a number of high profile cases, the government has commissioned HMIC to undertake an inspection of how the police are responding to domestic violence and the CPS is simultaneously looking into the reasons behind the declining number of cases referred to the police for prosecution.

The Forum considered the following questions:

• What can be done to increase the reporting of domestic abuse and reduce the attrition rate?
• What can be done beyond the criminal justice system to prevent and reduce domestic abuse?
• What are the best ways of working with victims and perpetrators and how can they be embedded in mainstream practice, while ensuring that wheels are not constantly reinvented?