VKPP at Parliamentary Roundtable Meeting - VAWG

Protecting girls and young women at risk of violence and exploitation in and around criminal gangs was the focus of a Parliamentary Roundtable meeting, which VKPP Director Gareth Edwards was on the panel for, on Monday 22 May.

The roundtable, which was hosted by Jess Phillips MP and chaired by Dame Louise Casey, saw representatives from policing, academia and the third sector, take part in a panel session followed by a Q&A discussing how better to tackle violence against women and girls.

Gareth had the opportunity to discuss current practice and the crucial work of the VKPP, specifically around drawing together evidence and insight to enable improvements in policing response & policy and its intersection

Gareth also highlighted significant national activity currently being undertaken in policing including by DCC Maggie Blyth as the VAWG lead, the new CSE Taskforce led by Hydrant and the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) Programme, the College of Policing and wider.

After the roundtable Gareth said: “It was a privilege to represent the VKPP and the NPCC at today’s roundtable event.

“We heard today from a number of attendees across different sectors including those with lived experience as to how crucial it is that we work together to safeguard further victims from violence and exploitation.

"We remain committed to tackling abuse and exploitation in all its forms and coordinating our efforts to effect positive change within policing and across partnerships”.