Survivors of domestic abuse across North Wales will be better protected due to the further expansion of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders
From today, victims in North Wales - as well as their friends, families or support workers - can apply for Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPO) in the family court at Caernarfon, Prestatyn or Wrexham. Police can also apply on their behalf in the magistrates’ court for protection against abusers. This comes as the Government reiterates its commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade as part of its Plan for Change.
Domestic Abuse Protection Orders build on existing police powers, providing stronger protection for victims including forcing perpetrators to stick to strict exclusion zones wearing GPS tags and attending substance misuse or mental health interventions.
Unlike current schemes, these orders cover all types of domestic abuse – including physical, controlling, or coercive behaviour, economic abuse and stalking – and can be issued by all courts. There will also be no maximum duration for these orders, compared to the 28-days current protection orders offer.
In the year to March 2024, North Wales Police granted 462 Domestic Violence Protection Notices and made over 350 applications under Clare’s Law to help protect victims of domestic abuse. These figures show why more flexible, streamlined tools like Domestic Abuse Protection Orders will further help victims.
Today marks the second expansion after the successful launch in Greater Manchester, three London boroughs (Croydon, Bromley and Sutton) and with the British Transport Police in November 2024 – with orders also rolled out across Cleveland in March. Between 27 November and 31 March, over 100 Domestic Abuse Protection Orders have been secured in Greater Manchester alone, with the police dealing with 45 breaches and jail time handed down to some of those who breached the order.
Since then, there have been multiple convictions for breach of an order with some perpetrators already behind bars. A maximum sentence for a breach of a Domestic Abuse Protection Orders is five years in prison.
Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones, said:
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, said:
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:
Jenny Hopkins, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Cymru-Wales, said:
Background Information