NWP officer recognised nationally for work in tackling violence against women and girls

 

A North Wales Police officer has won a national award for her leadership work in helping to tackle violence against women and girls in Wrexham.

Inspector Claire McGrady, North Wales Police’s Violence Against Women and Girls Tactical Delivery Manager, won the leadership category at the Violence Against Women and Girls National Recognition event held in London on Wednesday, September 6^th.

She was the only officer in Wales to have received an award.

The event is the first to be held by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing to recognise the work of police officers, staff and volunteers tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Inspector McGrady was commended for the impact her work has had on the streets of Wrexham, in providing a safer environment for women and girls over the past three years, which has led to a marked increase in reported serious sexual offences.

She has been successful in securing almost £1million in funding for Wrexham from the Home Office as part of the Safer Streets initiative and the Safety of Women at Night (SWAN), which funded covering the installation and upgrades of new CCTV and lighting sites in the city centre and ensuring poorly lit arterial pedestrian routes through the city centre had better coverage.

Inspector McGrady was also recognised for leading on bystander training with all licenced premises in the city and her work with police on patrols to identify vulnerable females and make them safe at night.

Chief Superintendent Jason Devonport, VAWG lead for North Wales Police said: “Claire has been an inspiration to so many colleagues and stakeholders across a number of years as she dedicates herself to the work in making the streets of Wrexham safer.

“She now works as the VAWG Tactical lead supporting many of us in work across the whole force. I am extremely proud to be working with Claire and her dedication to this area of policing.

“She has set many examples of accountability and having a tenacious approach to solving problems, this award is a true reflection of her leadership, both with peers and senior managers as she has a quality to encourage and promote activities which she believes will add value.”

 

“We are extremely proud of our winner. Well done, and congratulations to Claire on her award.”

The event was developed and judged jointly by police forces and representatives from charities including SafeLives, Suzy Lamplugh Trust and Karma Nirvana, alongside the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, Nicole Jacobs, and police staff associations.

Over 140 entries were received which were initially judged regionally by police and third sector panels, before being put in front of a national panel who decided the 13 overall winners.

All winning entries had to demonstrate how they built trust and confidence, that their approach was victim-centred, and they had to show impact, including how they were pursuing perpetrators.

Other winners included a campaign to tackle misogynistic and sexist behaviour internally by Avon and Somerset Police, reducing violent crime committed against sex workers in Cleveland Police, educational sessions for schools by West Midlands Police and a survivor of rape who has helped Lincolnshire Police by telling her story of the criminal justice system in order to support other victims.

DCC Maggie Blyth, National Police Chiefs’ Council violence against women and girls’ coordinator, said: “Thank you to everyone who works in policing and whose focus is on making society safer for women and girls.

“Having regional and national judging panels made up of experts from inside and outside policing have really helped us to focus on winners who have demonstrated both an understanding of what victims want and expect, but also on activity that is sustainable.

“It’s only by modelling this excellent work that we can hope to achieve consistency for women and girls across our police forces.

“Entries also showed how we are pursuing perpetrators and showing them that there is nowhere to hide. We all want policing to achieve more and although we still have much to do, I am heartened by the quality of work that is underway.”