Community Safety Partnership Funds Panic Alarms

As part of ongoing work to continue to support and promote community safety, the Dover District Community Safety Partnership and Kent Police have funded the purchase of digital alarms for use by victims of domestic abuse.

The alarms help enable Police to protect vulnerable people and demonstrate to them that they are safe and supported. It takes courage to report domestic abuse, and providing vulnerable victims with an alarm, which will summon an immediate Police response, is one of the ways they can be supported.

The Police continue to work closely with the Dover District Community Safety Partnership to support victims of domestic abuse. When activated by victims, the alarms link directly to the Police Emergency Control Centre. Officers are immediately sent to the address, with relevant information about the risk to the victim.

Detective Inspector Jon Holl from Kent Police said: "The one place where we should all feel completely safe is our own homes, yet victims of domestic abuse are often least safe behind the closed doors of their home. Supporting victims of domestic abuse is a key objective for Kent Police, DDC and Dover District Community Safety Partnership. Where the law permits, officers always take positive action and the Crown Prosecution Service takes a very robust approach to prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence."

Nadeem Aziz, Chairman of the Dover District Community Safety Partnership said: "We all need to be aware of the terrible effects of domestic abuse, a crime invariably committed away from the public gaze in circumstances when we would expect to be safe. We are committed to working with all partners to address this, and the purchase and use of these alarms will help us to do this."

For information or help on issues of domestic violence, the National Centre for Domestic Violence number is 08448 044999, or see www.ncdv.org.uk, or for more information, call the Community Safety Unit on 01304 872220.