In another effort to protect women and girls, the government also announced a new domestic abuse protection order pilot that will start in November.
Police already have the power to legally order abusers not to contact or go within a certain distance of victims for up to 28 days.
The pilot will introduce no maximum time limit for orders, impose electronic tagging of offenders and require perpetrators to notify police of any change in name or address.
The new orders will cover all forms of domestic abuse, including violence, stalking and controlling behaviour.
Breaching an order will be a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in prison.
Victims and other third parties such as charities will also be able to apply directly for an order, rather than having to rely on police and criminal courts.
The new domestic abuse protection orders will be piloted by officers in Greater Manchester Police, the Metropolitan Police (South London Borough Command Unit) and British Transport Police.
Refuge, the charity which supports survivors of domestic violence, welcomed the changes but called for “far more detail on how these plans will be implemented and how staff will be safely recruited, vetted and most importantly trained”.
Refuge’s interim chief executive Abigail Ampofo warned that police rarely act on breaches of existing protection orders, making them often “worth little more than the paper they are written on”.
“We need a real sea change in internal policing culture and the police forces’ response to domestic abuse overall,” said Ms Ampofo.
