Guidance on Economic Abuse

Request Number: FOI/15041

Category: Policing Themes, Operations and Investigations Legislation, Acts and Policies

Subject: Guidance on Economic Abuse

Request and Answer:
Your request for information has now been considered. In respect of Section 1(1)(a) of the Act we can confirm that the Police Service of Northern Ireland does hold information to which your request relates. The decision has been taken to disclose the following.

Request
Please provide the police force’s current operational guidance or internal training materials on handling reports of economic abuse as defined in Section 1(3)(d) of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Answer
In advance of the Domestic Abuse & Civil Proceedings Act (NI) 2021 commencing a four module-training plan was developed which reflects the following:

(1) Understanding Coercive controlling behaviour
(2) Legislative module
(3) Pathways to support
(4) Impact of domestic abuse

To support officers further internal operational guidance, a general adaptation of the statutory guidance for policing.  In the training modules and operational guidance financial and economic abuse was covered as a form of abusive behaviour that could constitute an offence under Section 1 Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (NI) 2021.

The module talks about finances in terms of being a barrier to seeking support and/or leaving the relationship. The legislative module further explains how power and control may be exerted
over a victim by dominance and control; this expands to talk about tactics such as preventing or controlling access to money or welfare benefits or only allowing the victim to spend money when ‘permitted’; forcing them to leave their job so that they have no money of their own; persuading them to leave education in order to limit their prospects etc. it also highlights the use of evidence led prosecutions, and gathering evidence such as bank statements to support an allegation which includes economic abuse.

DASH (Domestic Abuse, Stalking, Harassment and Honour Based Violence Assessment) training also covers financial abuse.

The emphasis here would be on financial control and how this can be a barrier to why someone stays; creating a state of co-dependence and reliance that victims find it extremely difficult to break away from.

Key points include:

• this type of abusive tactic is again about the wider umbrella of coercive control and limiting someone’s space for action and their ability to leave.
• any sudden changes in employment status of a perpetrator is key in determining risk e.g. being sacked, made redundant, accumulating debt, retiring, and the wider implications for risk this may bring.
• Financial control would also be talked about in terms of protracted court battles over child contact, in the abuse of older vulnerable adults, stalking behaviours, and in the wider pattern of coercive control.