Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts addressed retail leaders on steps to empower women’s safety in Derbyshire on International Women’s Day (March 8). Under the theme of Accelerating Action, she highlighted progress in tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) and encouraged women to use their voice for local change.

Speaking at Central Co-operative’s Women’s Voices event, she shared sobering facts: in the UK, a woman is killed by a man every 2.7 days; one in three women aged 16-59 will experience domestic abuse; and one in four women in England and Wales have been raped or sexually assaulted as an adult.

She discussed national proposals to protect women, including a new offence for spiking, domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms, a National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection, and strengthened Stalking Protection Orders. She has prioritised Serious Violence including VAWG in her Police and Crime Plan and works with partners to end VAWG through campaigns like 16 Days of Action.

Nicolle unveiled a guide for sexual violence victims and supports the “Call it Out” campaign to challenge misogynistic behaviour. She emphasised the need for accelerated action to prevent abuse.

She also updated on tackling retail crime, highlighting a new offence for assaulting retail workers, an issue which she pointed out is heavily weighted towards women and girls. This included local successes in increasing detection rates and aligning with the national plan to drive down retail crime in Derbyshire.

To read the full story visit PCC celebrates improvements to protect women and girls from violence as she marks International Women’s Day | Office of the Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner