IFAS responds to the VKPP Domestic Homicides and Suspected Victim Suicides report

The Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS) welcomes the report published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme (VKPP) and the College of Policing.

This report builds on our existing research that highlights non-fatal strangulation (NFS) as a risk factor in domestic homicide and suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse.

In this report, across domestic homicides and suspected victim suicides previous non-fatal strangulation was present in:

23% (n=25/108) of victims that died by poisoning or drugs

21% (n=47/222) of cases of death by hanging

14% (n=9/64) of deaths by strangulation

8% (n=2/25) of deaths by suffocation

Further to this, their analysis into suspected suicides following domestic abuse found that:

58% (206/354) of the cases of SVSDA over the four-year dataset had an identified history of coercive and controlling behaviour (CCB).

In 27% (56/206) of these cases non-fatal strangulation was a coexisting behaviour

We cannot ignore the risks (as identified in the VKPP report) to the current and future safety, health and well-being of victim/survivors and the risks to other potential victims. That lives continue to be lost due to the actions of someone else is everybody’s business. We support the call for all agencies to consider these findings, raise awareness of the risks associated with non-fatal strangulation including the relationship to domestic homicide and its prevalence within cases of suspected victim suicide following domestic abuse.

IFAS, funded by the Home Office, works to address strangulation in the UK and continues to conduct research, develop resources and, with our partners SafeLives, develop training to support frontline professionals across all agencies and services to improve the response to victim/survivors, including managing the risks associated with non-fatal strangulation.

Importantly, our work is informed by survivors of strangulation who share their experiences of reporting/disclosing strangulation across many services and agencies. We need to do better in identifying the risk strangulation poses and taking action to protect those who are seeking support and protection.