As part of a week’s filming for PolicingTV with Suffolk Constabulary, PC Kelly James of the force’s Domestic Abuse Perpetrators’ Unit spoke to PolicingTV’s Founder and Publisher, Bernard Rix.

“The Unit came together so that we could start to focus on the perpetrator, so that we could end the violence and abuse within relationships. We look at all the different perpetrators that get referred to us, from probation, social services, the police… These could be prolific offenders, or they could be involved in just a one-off domestic…. there’s something there that they’ve said that they want to make a change to their relationships and make themselves a better person.”

“They’ll be taught how to have a time-out, deal with arguments better, learn things about themselves, we’ll help with drug and alcohol abuse, housing debt, any extra support they need – as well as [our] supporting the victim throughout the programme.”

The highlights of her work? “Seeing the prolific domestic abuse offenders come in, with no job, not having access to their children, maybe having drug and alcohol abuse problems, gambling addiction, and seeing them, at the end of the twenty sessions, six months, with a job, having access to their children, having a better relationship with their partner – and not reoffending.”