The number of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner domestic abuse specialists working alongside 999 operators has doubled, following a successful Raneem’s Law pilot.
This means there will now be Raneem’s Law Domestic Abuse specialists seven nights a week embedded within Northamptonshire Police’s Force Control Room to make sure victims get a fast response, calls are properly risk assessed, and Police are supported at live incidents and scheduled appointments.
The announcement follows a new tranche of funding from the Home Office, enabling specialist workers to expand operations from five to seven days a week during peak hours.
Northamptonshire Police was chosen as one of five Forces to pilot the Raneem’s Law initiative in 2025, in response to the failures leading up to the tragic murders in 2018 of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem by Ms Oudeh’s ex-husband in Solihull.
It comes as the Force was already leading the way having embedded Crisis Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) in the Force Control Room five years ago from Thursday to Sundays.
The Raneem’s Law pilot meant an IDVA could also support incidents on a Wednesday evening too.
Senior IDVA Sarah Tiller in Northamptonshire Police’s Force Control Room.
PFCC Danielle Stone said: “We have been driving progress in Northamptonshire by trialling Crisis IDVAs in our Force Control Room since 2021, as result of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s office applying for Ministry of Justice funding to recruit these posts.
“Since then, we have seen first-hand in Northamptonshire what a difference having a domestic abuse specialist working in partnership with Police can make. The scale of these crimes and the devastating impact on survivors, victims, and their loved ones is profound.
“Now, our officers have expert resource on hand for advice, who can provide help and emotional support at the very earliest moment to survivors. I am pleased the Government has recognised the impact of our pioneering work and how we are playing a huge part in the mission to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.”
Raneem’s Law Domestic Abuse Specialists are part of Voice, the service supporting victims of crime provided by Danielle.
Data shows between the pilot launch in February 2025 to January 2026 (on Wednesdays), 214 enhanced domestic abuse referrals were made while advice was given to response officers on the incident ground 246 times.
Detective Superintendent Joe Banfield added: “We are proud to be shaping National Policy in this area and are committed to improving our frontline response to domestic abuse using independent experts.”
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls Natalie Fleet said: “Last year, one in eight women experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. No society that tolerates this level of violence can claim to be safe for women.
“That’s why we are rolling out the pioneering ‘Raneem’s Law’ to another 12 police forces in England and Wales, because every victim – no matter where they live – should be able to rely on a system that truly supports them.
“But we will not stop there. We will deploy the full power of the state to make this country safe for women and girls.”
Anyone suffering from domestic abuse is urged to call their local police on the non-emergency 101 or, in an emergency, always call 999.
If you are not yet ready to contact the police, call Voice on 0300 303 1965 or visit www.voicenorthants.org
