North Wales domestic abuse victims to benefit from new order

North Wales Chronicle

28-04-2025

This comes as the government extends its clampdown on domestic abuse in a bid to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.
The expansion of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) means that survivors of domestic abuse in North Wales, as well as their friends, families, or support workers, can now apply for these orders in the family court at Caernarfon, Prestatyn, or Wrexham.
Police can also apply on their behalf in the magistrates' court for protection against abusers.
The DAPOs build on existing police powers, providing stronger protection for victims, including forcing perpetrators to adhere to strict exclusion zones, wearing GPS tags, and attend substance misuse or mental health interventions.
These orders cover all types of domestic abuse, including physical, controlling, or coercive behaviour, economic abuse, and stalking, and can be issued by all courts.
Unlike current schemes, there is no maximum duration for these orders, compared to the 28-day limit of current protection orders.
In the year to March 2024, North Wales Police granted 462 Domestic Violence Protection Notices and made more than 350 applications under Clare's Law to help protect victims of domestic abuse.
Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones, said: "The pilot of DAPOs is already helping a number of victims across England, ending the cycle of abuse, trapping them in their own homes.
"I am now pleased to be expanding this to selected areas in my home country of Wales.
"Launching initially in North Wales, the rollout will continue to protect even more victims, and this helps to contribute to our Plan for Change."
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, said: "Time and time again, victims of domestic abuse tell me their safety has been compromised by a system that fails to protect them properly.
"That's why these new domestic abuse protection orders are not paper promises - they are real, practical tools that track abusers through electronic tagging, creating exclusion zones, and mandating attendance at behaviour change programmes."
The orders were first launched in Greater Manchester, three London boroughs (Croydon, Bromley, and Sutton), and with the British Transport Police in November 2024, and were rolled out across Cleveland in March.
Between November 27 and March 31, more than 100 DAPOs were secured in Greater Manchester alone, with the police dealing with 45 breaches and jail time handed down to some of those who breached the order.
Since then, several convictions for breaching an order have taken place, with some perpetrators already serving prison sentences.
The maximum sentence for a breach of a DAPO is five years in prison.
Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, said: "The UK Government is working to make our communities safer, and it is vital that we reduce violence against women and girls to achieve this goal.
"These new orders provide stronger protection for victims of domestic abuse, simplify their access to help and ensure court powers are more stringent than ever before."
Jenny Hopkins, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Cymru-Wales, said: "Domestic Abuse Protection Orders are another vital way for our prosecutors to protect victims of these terrible crimes.
"We can ask the court for an order if someone is convicted, or if they are acquitted, and will be looking to prosecute anybody who breaches that order."