Recurring concern

Unreliable access to cross-force domestic abuse information

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First reported 24 Mar 2020•Latest report 2 Oct 2025

Definition

What this concern includes

Includes failures in police systems and arrangements for making reported domestic-abuse and other safeguarding-relevant non-crime information available across force boundaries, including Police National Database access, national availability, searchability and related access controls for frontline risk assessment.

Not included

  • Excludes domestic-abuse risk assessment, investigation, disclosure, bail and protective-action failures where cross-force information access is not the deficient control.
  • Excludes generic police information-sharing or database-access problems without a domestic-abuse safeguarding context.
  • Excludes failures to act on complete and accessible cross-force domestic-abuse information when the information-access process itself operated reliably.
  • Excludes criminal-conviction, border-control and unrelated police information systems unless the assertion specifically concerns cross-force domestic-abuse information.
Reports
2

Distinct published reports

Individual concerns
2

A report can raise multiple concerns

Date range
2020–2025

First to latest report issue date

Stated actions
4

Described in published responses

Reports over time

Reports over time

Reports about this concern issued each year.

* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.

Most frequent recipients

Most frequent recipients

Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.

Hertfordshire Constabulary1
Home Office1
Recipient name withheld1

Concerns and responses across reports

Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

  1. East London

    AI-generated summary

    Georgia Jay Barter · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Georgia Jay Barter died on 26 April 2020 after an act of self-harm following an assault by her partner during a long-term abusive relationship. The principal concern was that frontline police officers may have limited access to the Police National Database, making it difficult to identify reported domestic abuse linked to individuals across different police-force areas.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Limited access for frontline police officers to the Police National Database for cross-border domestic abuse history checks

    Wider context from the report

    “The concern I have is that there is difficulty for front line officers in police forces across the country to easily access the police national database to check on individuals who are suspected of domestic abuse. They are unable to easily identify if the individual has a history of reported domestic abuse in areas outside that forces' borders. This would allow police to be more proactive in their dealings with victims of domestic violence. I understand that some forces have implemented changes to facilitate better exchange of information and access to PND. However, I am concerned that there may be forces which continue to have limited access for front line police officers to the PND. This is on a background of rising numbers of domestic violence cases in this country. It accounts for 20% of all crime in Essex. ”

    Source location

    Georgia Jay Barter · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Stabilise the Police National Database by addressing legacy challenges before wider police-intelligence transformation.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “The PND went live in 2011 and receives regular technical upgrades. The Home Office has a current programme designed to alleviate some of the current legacy challenges and to stabilise this Critical National Infrastructure application prior to any wider transformation of police intelligence.”

    Source location

    Response from Home Office
    Page 1 · response
    Published 9 October 2025

    Open published response

  2. Hertfordshire

    AI-generated summary

    Kelly Marie SUTTON · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Kelly Sutton was found hanging at her home on 23 August 2017 and died in hospital on 26 August 2017. The inquest concluded that her suicide was contributed to by domestic abuse. A principal concern was that non-crime information relevant to safeguarding potential domestic abuse victims was not available as a national police resource.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Lack of a national resource for non-crime information relevant to safeguarding potential victims of domestic abuse

    Wider context from the report

    “(1) That non-crime Information valuable to the police in safeguarding potential victims of domestic abuse is not available as a national resource. It is still limited to individual police areas or groups of areas. ”

    Source location

    Kelly Marie SUTTON · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Use the Athena integrated platform to share intelligence, custody, crime and non-crime records across participating forces.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “In May 2018, Hertfordshire joined with eight other forces to share a common integrated crime and intelligence platform called Athena which replaced a myriad of independent legacy systems. Athena allows each force to access the other’s intelligence, custody, crime and non-crime records, vastly improving our ability to safeguard the vulnerable and detect crime. Similar to PNC every officer has immediate access to Athena. The move to Athena was a significant and positive step and addresses some of your concern. However, it is accepted that although significant progress has been made there is still scope for more non-crime information to be available across force boundaries.”

    Source location

    2020-0076-Response-from-Hertfordshire-Constabulary_Redacted
    Page 2 · response
    Published 9 April 2020

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Work towards improving opportunities for sharing police-held data across force boundaries.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “In May 2018, Hertfordshire joined with eight other forces to share a common integrated crime and intelligence platform called Athena which replaced a myriad of independent legacy systems. Athena allows each force to access the other’s intelligence, custody, crime and non-crime records, vastly improving our ability to safeguard the vulnerable and detect crime. Similar to PNC every officer has immediate access to Athena. The move to Athena was a significant and positive step and addresses some of your concern. However, it is accepted that although significant progress has been made there is still scope for more non-crime information to be available across force boundaries.”

    Source location

    2020-0076-Response-from-Hertfordshire-Constabulary_Redacted
    Page 2 · response
    Published 9 April 2020

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Use the circumstances of Kellie Sutton’s death and the report observations to inform the LEDS consultation response.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “The Codes of Practice for LEDS was published on 10th June 2020 for a 3 month consultation process and can be found here: https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/Standards/Codes_of_practice/Pages/Law-Enforcement-Data-Service.aspx. Hertfordshire Constabulary is fully committed to working towards the best opportunities for sharing data held by the police, and as part of our response to the consultation we will use the circumstances of Kellie Sutton’s death and your observations to help influence the way NLEDS progresses.”

    Source location

    2020-0076-Response-from-Hertfordshire-Constabulary_Redacted
    Page 2 · response
    Published 9 April 2020

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent position was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    National development of joined-up police data systems is undertaken by the Home Office through NLEDP; the constabulary’s stated role is consultation input.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “On a national level the Home Office through the National Law Enforcement Data Programme (NLEDP) has created the Law Enforcement Data Service (LEDS). LEDS will provide police and other law enforcement agencies with current and joined-up information - on demand and at the point of need - to help prevent crime and better safeguard the public. This work will, in due course, result in the decommissioning of the PNC and PND. The LEDS platform will multiple existing data sets currently in the PNC and the PND for law enforcement to be accessed via a single interface. I am sure you will appreciate that the development of such a system is extremely complex and will take time to develop and implement but the potential is worth the investment.”

    Source location

    2020-0076-Response-from-Hertfordshire-Constabulary_Redacted
    Page 2 · response
    Published 9 April 2020

    Open published response
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Data last updated 7 September 2026