“Victims who used Rapid Video Response got help in around three minutes compared to normal response time of around 33 hours.”
Kent Police has helped create a video system for non-urgent domestic abuse calls which has seen response times during a trial drop from around 33 hours to approximately three minutes. Victims can talk via video instead of waiting for an “in-person visit”.
The “rapid video response” (RVR) was piloted with 517 domestic abuse victims. When they called police at times when there was “no immediate threat”, police could offer a video call with a specially trained officer.
This officer could talk to the victim, check on their safety, and give advice, using a secure video link sent to them.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Police Chief Scientific Adviser said those who used the RVR were 11 per cent more satisfied with police response, than those who waited for a “standard in-person visit”.
“Police officers also saved time, so they could help more people,” they said. And there were “50 per cent more arrests during the life of an RVR investigation, compared to the traditional response group”, said the spokesperson.
Kent Police worked with the Cambridge Centre for Evidence Based Policing to created the RVR.
The trial was so successful, RVR has been rolled out across seven police forces in the eastern region, and the team from Kent Police has briefed police in India, France, Canada, Australia and the USA on the technology.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Police Chief Scientific Adviser said: “The new video response made a substantial difference. Victims who used RVR got help in around three minutes compared to normal response time of around 33 hours.”
“Satisfaction with police response that used RVR was 11 per cent higher compared to those who waited for a standard in-person visit. Police officers also saved time, so they could help more people.
“What’s more, there were 50 per cent more arrests during the life of an RVR investigation, compared to the traditional response group.”
The spokesperson said calls to the police had been increasing in “volume and complexity – presenting a challenge for forces to keep up with the demand, respond to calls, and investigate crimes effectively”.
Non-urgent domestic abuse calls have been an “area of particular concern”, with around 3,100 such calls being received across England and Wales on an average day.
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