In June this year, a national policing strategy was launched to help forces target serial domestic abusers during the Euros football tournament. Developed by the UK’s Football Policing Unit, the strategy aimed to provide forces with a proactive, multi-agency approach to safeguard victims and focus on perpetrators of domestic abuse.
As part of the police efforts, forces utilised intelligence to identify known serial domestic abusers with football banning orders, directing operational activity such as proactive patrols and welfare visits to victims.
The strategy also sought to enhance understanding of the connection between football tournaments and an increase in domestic abuse. While football itself does not cause domestic abuse, several factors are believed to contribute to the rise in abusive behaviour during tournaments, such as the heightened and prolonged consumption of alcohol surrounding matches.
National-level data was collected and will now undergo further analysis to explore ways to improve the police response, with the goal of preventing offences, safeguarding victims, and pursuing perpetrators. Isabelle Younane, Head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid, said:
“Last week, the National Police Chiefs Council announced that over 300 domestic abuse related offences were attributed to the Euros earlier this summer. While this figure may seem shocking, it is only the tip of the iceberg. Domestic abuse often goes unreported, meaning that the real number of incidents during the Euros is likely much higher.
While football does not cause domestic abuse, we know that it can exacerbate existing abuse, increasing the severity and frequency of violent incidents. The correlation between the two isn’t entirely clear but it is thought that factors such as the higher consumption of alcohol that accompanies sporting events, and the strong emotional response that winning or losing can have on supporters, may attribute to this increase.
Women’s Aid have continued to raise awareness of the challenges women and children face during these tournaments, with our ‘He’s Coming Home’ campaign in 2022 and our ‘No More Years of Hurt’ campaign this year. We look forward to the results of the NPCC’s data being analysed, as we hope it will provide further insight into the link between domestic abuse and football and mitigate the risk.
The Euros, and other sporting events, should be a source of entertainment and joy for us all but sadly, for countless women across the country it is a source of fear. Everyone should be able to enjoy the events that bring people together, and no one should have to live in fear when they are coming up.”
