25-05-2025
POLICE COLUMN: Detective Chief Inspector Laura White
DCI White speaks out on early intervention to protect vulnerable people from harm which is part of the force's Violence Against Women and Girls strategy
As the Detective Chief Inspector for Lothian and Scottish Borders Division, I want to use this week's column to discuss some of the current workstreams we are involved in to safeguard communities against various types of public protection-related offences.
Prevention and early intervention to protect vulnerable people from harm is at the root of what we aim to achieve and as part of our Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, we are working alongside colleagues within Education to provide information on a range of issues to pupils at schools throughout the Division.
We recognise the importance of educating children and young people on healthy relationships, consent, and online safety to prevent the development of harmful attitudes and behaviours.
In the coming weeks, we will be looking to develop our work with P7 leavers and our young people starting high school to support the inputs they receive in class time in terms of relationships, sexual health, and parenthood.
To support these messages, School Link Officers will look to deliver additional inputs either in school setting or as part of the Risk Factory Centre trips, to reinforce healthy relationships and boundaries, understanding of consent, the various guises of domestic abuse and where our young people can go in terms of sign posting if they require help and support.
Last month, some of our Detectives and Response officers attended a continuous development training event during National Stalking Awareness Week. This was designed to strengthen officer confidence and capability in identifying, investigating, and responding to stalking reports.
Stalking can have serious and lasting effects on victims. It affects a person's quality of life, ability to live freely and in some cases can lead to significant harm or even death.
Stalking behaviours can be subtle, manipulative, and disguised by perpetrators as legitimate or incidental actions on their part.
Our officers heard case studies exploring patterns, behaviours, observing the real-life toll on victims from perpetrators as well as hearing from real life Police investigations which allowed us to share good practice and learning opportunities.
It is essential that our officers are equipped to understand their responsibilities in respect of stalking, how to recognise the signs and maximise investigative opportunities in order to provide the best service we can to those impacted.
If you are worried that you are a victim of stalking or concerned about someone you know who is experiencing this. I would encourage you to call Police or contact National Stalking Helpline on 0808 8020 300 to seek advice and support.
Within Lothians and Scottish Borders Division, we benefit from positive working relationships with our partners across Health and support services and regularly receive third party reporting from survivors of sexual abuse who, for valid reasons, were not ready, or did not wish to contact Police at the time of an offence.
If you have been the victim of a sexual offence, it's understandable that you may not know what to do or where to turn. NHS Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARCS) is a dedicated NHS service which can offer healthcare and support in the days after an assault, if you are not ready to tell the Police or are unsure.
If you have been the victim of a sexual assault within the last seven days and do not want to tell the Police or are unsure about telling them now - you can self-refer to a SARCS.
This means you don't need a GP or other healthcare professional to refer you to a SARCS - you can do this yourself.
