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Table of Contents

Section 1 – Policy IntentionsSection 2 – Policy wordingSection 3 – Procedural guidesInitial responders: primary considerations:............................................................................................................2Responsibilities (by department)........................................................................................................................... 6

Force Control Room (FCR) StaffFront Office/face to face reports:MASHForce Incident Manager (FIM)AttendanceDNA Fingerprints and PhotographsAttending Police Officer’s SergeantDuty InspectorCID Detective Sergeant/KF1CID Detective Inspector/On Call SIOCID InvestigatorsWhere the victim relocates to another force area, CID Officers and staff are responsible for:

Section 4 - Relevant Legislation: (Human rights/diversity/Health & Safety/any other specifics)Section 5 - Related References:Section 6 - Identification, Monitoring and ReviewAppendix AAppendix BAppendix CAppendix DAppendix E

Section 1 – Policy Intentions

Forced marriage is now a criminal offence and anyone who uses violence, threats or any other form of coercion to cause a person, without their consent, to enter into a marriage commits the offence. If applicable there are numerous civil orders which a victim can obtain to help protect themselves against forced marriage including a forced marriage protection order. If a perpetrator breaches the conditions of this order they also now commit a criminal offence.

Perpetrators may try to take the victim out of the country in order to be married. If this is a possibility an overseas safety plan (appendix D) should be agreed with the victim.

All victims have a fundamental right to be believed and their views should be sought and respected. Victims will frequently have a better understanding of the risk they are facing. They should be carefully listened to and their views placed at the forefront of any decision making.

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Forced Marriage Policy

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Section 2 – Policy wording

Overview:

A Forced Marriage (FM) is a marriage conducted without the valid consent of one or both parties, or where consent is unable to be given (due to learning/physical disabilities) and where duress is a factor. Duress can include physical, psychological, financial, sexual and emotional pressure, use of deception and other means. Duress may come from parents, the wider family and/or the community. Duress and forced marriage cannot be justified on religious or cultural grounds. Parents who force their children to marry may seek to justify their behaviour, believing that it protects their children, preserves cultural and/or religious traditions and caters for stronger family relationships. Some other key reasons may include controlling unwanted sexuality, preventing perceived unsuitable relationships, protecting ‘family honour’, achieving financial gain, ensuring care for a child or adult with additional needs and assisting claims for residence and citizenship.

Section 3 – Procedural guides

Initial responders: primary considerations:

Forced Marriage cases can involve a variety of complex and sensitive issues that should be handled by a child protection or adult protection specialist from the PPU or CID. They in turn will refer the case to the Detective Inspector responsible for their area of business. If out of hours the case should immediately be brought to the attention of the on call SIO who will be responsible for setting the investigative strategy.

Forced Marriage should be regarded as high risk and if not dealt with effectively can lead to significant harm befalling the victim. Likewise, the lack of an effective response can cause the victim to lack confidence in the Police and therefore disengage.

Officers should:

Be aware of the warning signs. Ensure that the victim is safe and instigate immediate actions to ensure safety. Avoid attendance in uniform unless absolutely necessary. Listen carefully to what the victim is telling you. Ensure they are spoken to alone, even if they attend with others. See them immediately in a secure and private place where the conversation

cannot be overheard. Complete a VIST risk assessment. Reassure the victim about confidentiality where appropriate. Establish a codeword. Relatives, friends, community leaders and neighbours should not be used as

interpreters. Choose interpreters carefully and confirm they are suitable with the victim. Do not send the victim back to the family home or send them away. Do not attempt to mediate.

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Contact the duty Detective Sergeant or KF1 as soon as possible.

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Chart of potential warning signs or indicators

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1. One chance rule.

All professionals working with suspected or actual victims of forced marriage need to be aware of the “one chance” rule. That is, they may only have one opportunity to speak to a victims or potential victim and may possibly only have one chance to save a life. As a result, all professionals working within statutory agencies need to be aware of their responsibilities and obligations when they are faced with forced marriage cases. If the victim is allowed to leave without the appropriate support and advice being offered, that one chance might be wasted.

2. Interpreters.

Victims may often need an interpreter; however a local Interpreter may be from the same community as the perpetrators. To avoid this always use interpreters from out of county and if possible give the name of the proposed interpreter to the victim prior to contacting the interpreter to see if the victim knows them. Give the victim the choice of what gender they would prefer.

3. Perpetrators

Perpetrators of forced marriage will often consist of a group of people including relatives of the victim and members of the community. This group of people may be local and will often have contacts across the country that will sympathise with the perpetrators and assist them in locating or offending against the victim.

Perpetrators will often report victims as missing persons when the victim tries to escape forced marriage and will try to use agencies to return the victim to them. They may also suggest that the victim has mental health or other issues in an attempt to discredit the victim.

Many victims’ will be suspicious of agencies including the police, social services and health as often members of their communities who are perpetrators of forced marriage will work in government agencies. Be mindful about who has access to the incident and information relating to the case. Victims may be particularly difficult to engage with because of this. Victims may also have been misled by the perpetrators about the level of power perpetrators who work in agencies have within those agencies.

4. Access to Information

For the reasons outlined above effective information handling with regards to forced marriage cases should be a central consideration of any initial response andsubsequent investigation. Consideration should be given to the following at an earlystage:

Restricting the view rating on the STORM log to limit access to solely those needing access.

If a crime has been committed consideration of what information needs to be recorded in Unifi. At present there is no ‘lock down’ facility in Unifi so only basic

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details should be provided and nothing that compromises the current location of the victim or their safety.

VIST. In a similar vein to the crime nothing that would compromise victim safety or identify/lead to the identification of their location should be recorded. VIST information is transferred to Unifi Enquiry so operational security of information should be considered.

A suitable means of recording information securely should be identified by the lead investigator.

Consider the necessity of an emergency trigger plan and how that would be stored for integrity.

If an OPI is required then consider the possible ramifications as this would be viewable by all and potentially lead to inadvertent disclosures.

Consider a PNC forced marriage flag

5. Responsibilities (by department).

Initial reporting

Reports to Police will normally be expected to come via three sources; calls to the Police, face to face encounters (e.g. via front office desks) and via partnership referrals, particularly from the MASH.

Force Control Room (FCR) Staff

Using the forced marriage policy and procedure document identify any of the potential signs of forced marriage. Persons reporting a forced marriage to the Police may not use terminology that makes it obvious.

If a forced marriage is thought to be an element of the report:

Immediate tag the log as it could constitute a Critical Incident and notify your supervisor.

Grade the call in line with the Demand Management Policy and be conscious of the: Potential high risk of harm to forced marriage victims after they have contacted

the Police. Necessity of a timely response; and Potential consequences of failing to respond appropriately.

Unless there is an immediate risk to life, not despatching anyone immediately but: Bringing it to the attention of your supervisor; and Opening a Storm log with the appropriate forced marriage codes.

Obtaining all available information including :

Location and identity of the person making the report, including their contact details and their relationship with the victim or potential victim;

Victims full name, age, date of birth, address and nationality;

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Contact number and a safe time to call; Details of the incident; Whether anyone else is at risk, If the victim has been physically harmed or thinks that they may be and if so by whom; If the victim’s family are aware contact has been made with the Police or

another agency. If so, what the family’s response was and what the victim fears the consequences may be;

If anyone else knows the caller is speaking to the Police and their details; and If the victim wishes to remain at home and if so why. If the victim indicates they may be at risk of being taken out of the country,

obtaining the additional information of: Date, time and location of departure. Destination. Airline. Passport details. Whether the victim has dual nationality. The Foreign and

Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit advise that if a victim has two passports they should always travel on their UK passport as this may facilitate any subsequent action the British Consulate may need to take abroad and clearly identifies the individual to foreign jurisdiction as a British citizen.

Where and with whom they will be staying. Who they will be travelling with. Once you have created the log and endorsed it with the required

information (as above), passing it to the Force Incident Manager for review.

When finalising the incident, asking the CID Supervisor to ensure the Storm log is appropriately endorsed with the Crime/Enquiry Number and the correct Closure Code.

On receipt of an urgent NBTC alert, creating a log and grading it as Emergency for the FCR to inform relevant departments for any immediate action.

Notifying the relevant CID Supervisor and liaising with them regarding the management of the incident and appropriate action to be taken. This will be the Duty Detective Sergeant between 0700-2300hrs. Out of hours it will be the Nights Crime Car Detective (KF1) and the on call SIO.

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Front Office/face to face reports:

Must be brought to the attention of the duty Sergeant immediately. The duty Sergeant will allocate a Police Officer to ascertain the initial circumstances. The victim will be taken to a suitable private and safe location. The same facts and detail as per FCR staff above will be ascertained. Request the commencement of a STORM log. Contact the duty Detective Sergeant or KF1 to ensure early handover to the CID. Complete a VIST and skeleton crime report.

MASH

Partnership referrals via the MASH will immediately be brought directly to the attention of the duty Detective Sergeant in CID.

The MASH and duty Detective Sergeant will agree a preferred initial investigative plan that considers how the information has been supplied and any sensitivities.

Force Incident Manager (FIM)

The FIM is responsible for:

Reviewing the Storm Log and considering that an immediate response from uniformed officers may put the victim at further risk.

Confirming that the incident requires a forced marriage response. Confirming that the relevant CID supervisor should be contacted to take ownership of

this incident. Depending on the circumstances that may mean that the initial response is handled entirely by the CID unless there are immediate safety issues requiring the urgent deployment of FRU resources.

Amending the view rating of the Storm Log to restrict access.

Whatever way an initial report is received, Police Officers and Police Staff are responsible for:

Responding correctly, using the HBA/FM initial attendance guidance and being conscious of the potential for an incident to be related to forced marriage;

As an inappropriate response may place the victim in extreme danger. Not telling them there is nothing the Police can do. Not sending them away without proper Police action being taken, under any

circumstances.

Attendance

CID will be responsible for investigating ALL potential offences of forced marriage; as a consequence careful consideration should be given for them to take early primacy and dispatch to the victim. If that is not possible CID should still be consulted at the earliest stage to agree an initial strategy for dealing with the victim.

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Police Officers and Police Staff are responsible for:

Informing your Supervisor immediately if you deal with a report that is, or has the potential for being, forced marriage related.

Reassuring the victim, establishing whether they are in immediate danger and determining if it is necessary to remove them to a place of safety.

Always speaking to the victim / person on their own, in a private and safe environment, where they cannot be overheard. If the victim attends at a Police Station or other public place, agree a credible reason the victim can give for attending there in case they are seen by family /community members;

Giving the individual, where possible, the choice of the race and gender of the officer who deals with their case and gathering all the required and additional information, unless FCR staff have already obtained this;

Deciding if an interpreter is necessary. If choosing one, consider the need to maintain the victim’s confidentiality and protect them from harm as a result of information, e.g. about their whereabouts, becoming known to potential offenders;

Recognising and recording the victim’s wishes and reassuring them about confidentiality in respect of their own circumstances and agreeing a discreet and safe method for future contact with them. However, you should make it clear that it may be necessary for you to share information where another person is at risk or it concerns a child or young person under 18;

Complete Risk Assessment procedure using the Vulnerability Identification Screening Toolkit (VIST).

Obtaining full details of all the children who normally reside in the household and considering Child Protection Procedure and using Police Protection Powers where it appears that a child is in need of immediate protection;

Seeking advice from a CID Supervisor as soon as possible; Considering, with your Supervisor:

If you need to issue an All Ports Warning as there is concern that the victim may be in the process of being removed from the County;

If a Warning Notice should be given as per the Threats to life policy. Liaising with the Regional Protected Person Unit for advice and assistance, if

necessary. Ensuring that all evidence relating to any offence disclosed is identified and seized

in accordance with the relevant Force Policy.

You must not:

Approach the victim’s family or community or religious leaders in an attempt to mediate as this may compromise the victim’s safety. Such persons may be unaware that the victim has made contact with the Police;

Share information with any other body without the consent of the victim; and Place confidential information, e.g. about the victim’s whereabouts on any unrestricted system.

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DNA Fingerprints and Photographs

Police Officers and Police Staff are responsible for:

Making it clear to victims that their DNA and fingerprints will be held on National Police Databases and obtaining their consent for this.

Completing, where appropriate the Vulnerable Volunteer DNA Retention Form and submitting the DNA samples to Regional Scientific Support along with the fingerprint form.

Attending Police Officer’s Sergeant

The attending officer’s Sergeant is responsible for:

Where possible, attending the scene of the incident and liaising as soon as practicable with the CID supervisor to ensure that the supervisor has been notified that the call has been received.

Checking that the attending officer has completed a VIST, that it is accurate and that the level of risk has been agreed.

Ensuring all actions taken are recorded on the Storm Log. Checking that the attending officer has:

Identified all victims and potential victims. Taken all immediate reasonable steps to ensure their safety. Identified and managed identified risk factors; and Documented this on the Storm log; and

Ensuring a Community Impact Assessment has been prepared where there is an immediate impact on local communities. Care should be taken around operational security of the information contained within.

In all cases, bringing the matter to the attention of the Duty Inspector

Duty Inspector

The Duty Inspector is responsible for:

Ensuring that the case has been appropriately responded to. Ensuring that the duty Sergeant in CID has taken primacy. Liaising with the duty Detective Inspector (SIO) to ascertain if any further assistance is

required. Appraise duty Gold of incident and SIO details.

CID Detective Sergeant/KF1

CID Supervisors are responsible for:

Liaising as soon as possible with the FRU and determining how an incident of HBA or FM will be attended.

Determining how the case will be recorded to ensure operational security of information.

Setting the investigative and initial safety strategy.

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Overseeing the case as the single co-ordinating officer and ensuring that, where the investigation is undertaken by other staff, there is a continuous liaison between the CID Supervisors and other officers involved in the case;

Reviewing the VIST and ensuring that a thorough Safety Plan is agreed, recorded, implemented and monitored.

Liaising confidentially, with the victim’s knowledge and consent with the chair of the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) to discuss when a multi-agency meeting can take place so that a safety plan can be jointly developed outside of a normal MARAC meeting (which is not appropriate in HBA and FM cases) by the agencies. Any decision not to consult MARAC partners must be documented by the CID Supervisor on the Crime Report.

Ensuring that liaison takes place with the relevant Safer Neighbourhood Team Inspector and Community Impact Assessments are completed if necessary.

Making the SLT aware of any forced marriage incidents occurring within the area and liaising with the forced marriage strategic lead, currently DCI Ocone.

Ensuring the duty Detective Inspector/on call SIO is appraised of the incident as soon as possible.

Liaising with supervisors of Offender Management Units to ensure proactive management of suspect/ defendants;

Liaising with Regional Protected Persons Unit for advice, guidance and assistance, where necessary, ensuring the relocation of the victim in another Force Area is in accordance with the ACPO Guidance on the relocation of victims of Forced Marriage and Honour Based Abuse between forced areas.

Reviewing cases on a weekly basis to ensure investigations are progressing in accordance with best practice and the victim remains appropriately safeguarded.

Liaising with FRU /FCR staff to agree the finalisation of logs and appropriate closure codes.

Consider how the victim will be managed and the need for separate ‘contact officers’ and investigating officer.

CID Detective Inspector/On Call SIO

The duty Detective Inspector or On Call SIO is responsible for:

Taking overall command of the investigative response and key decision making, working closely with the duty Detective Sergeant, FRU Inspector and FIM.

CID Investigators

CID Officers and Staff are responsible for:

Undertaking Investigations and actions as directed by your supervisor; Liaising with other investigating officers and maintaining contact with victims; Obtaining DNA fingerprints and photographs if not already collected; Reviewing DASH Risk assessments on the initial receipt of the referral and continuing

to review the assessment in light of changing circumstances; Considering a Forced Marriage Protection Order (FMPO) to protect adults and

children being forced into marriage and discussing an application with Social Care. Considering the operational security of information being stored on all systems and its

accessibility to staff.


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Being aware of national and voluntary bodies which offer services to victims, in particular those which provide hostel accommodation, having arrangements in place to share information confidentially and fully documenting this in order to make safe use of those services;

Liaising with other Police Forces and managing the movement of victims between areas;

Communicating with the Forced Marriage Unit and, out of hours, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Response Centre for advice and recovery action where a victim has been removed from the country;

Making and maintaining complete and accurate policy records on the Crime Report of where offences are disclosed, who investigated and maintained contact with the victim and ensuring all Storm Logs, Crime Reports and other documents are properly restricted and protectively marked;

Case ownership of the Crime Report and attending policy/strategy meetings as necessary;

Reviewing PNC flags periodically in light of any changing circumstances and removing flags which are no longer required;

Monitoring FMPOs and documenting clearly any actions on the Crime Report; If the Gloucestershire Constabulary are not the lead agency, this should be

documented on the Crime Report. Consider if there are any covert opportunities, liaise with a Covert Manager to devise a

suitable strategy.

Where the victim relocates to another force area, CID Officers and staff are responsible for:

Having discussions as soon as possible with the other area to: Agree which area is responsible for managing the risk to the victim, e.g. where a

move to another area is short term temporary measure, agree a joint victim safety plan and update the VIST.

Co-ordinate the handover of responsibilities to an identified case manager in the second area;

Enable the contact officer to introduce the victim to new staff and share information and records about the case, victim and suspect;

Share information in a controlled and co-ordinated manner with partner agencies, e.g. children’s social care;

Transfer MARAC responsibilities, where appropriate; Ensure continued dialogue between the areas and early notification if the victim

intends to move again; and Agree responsibilities in relation to investigating any offences committed. Where the victim moves without our knowledge, the receiving area must liaise with

the Gloucestershire Constabulary to agree case ownership, actions in relation to the risk assessment and safety planning as well as information sharing.


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Section 4 - Relevant Legislation: (Human rights/diversity/Health & Safety/any other specifics)

Compliance

This policy complies with the following legislation, policy and guidance:

APP Investigation NPIA Guidance on Investigating Domestic Abuse NPCC Honour Based Abuse, Forced Marriage and Female Genital

Mutilation: a policing strategy. NPCC/CPS Protocol on the handling of “so called” honour based

violence/abuse and forced marriage offences HM Government Multi Agency Practice Guidelines: Handling Forced

Marriage Domestic abuse policy Stalking and harassment policy

Section 5 - Related References:

N/A

Section 6 - Identification, Monitoring and Review

The Policy should enable consistent and effective decision making. Where operational or managerial circumstances require any decision making that would adversely affect adherence to the policy or procedure, in line with the ‘Statement of Intent’ of the constabulary and the police service ‘Code of Ethics’, if an officer/ police staff member believes that they need to make a decision that steps outside of policy and procedure they should do so, provided that:

• the officer/ police staff member raises the matter at the earliest opportunity (and ideally before any such decision is made) with their line manager declaring their intended (or actual) course of action if notification is made after the decision is taken,

• produces, in a timely manner, a signed and dated written explanation of why it is/ was deemed necessary to step outside of policy and procedure, and

• maintain an adequate record of this written rationale for audit purposes appropriate to the circumstances/ contravention

GSC Security Marking: OFFICIAL/OFFICIAL-SENSITIVEType PolicyDepartment URN Strategic Board Author/ReviewerCrime Command 274 IGB & PPBSDB– CID – DCI of Crime CommandVersion Date History of changes (ensure public copy amended and uploaded to

external website)Complied with Policy Guidance

V3.0a 08/06/2020 Reviewed – No changeV3.0 21/5/2019 Policy reviewed and re-written by Tristan jones and R Ocone


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V2.0 17/10/2018 Reviewed – no changes made. FOI version also created23.2.18 Added the generic decision making wording as requested

by the CCV1.0 3/7/15 New wording and template used

Formatting and Publication: Governance and Compliance Team

Next Document Review Date: 30/06/2021

EIA EIA Sign Off – name and date EIA Review – name and dateLOW/MEDIUM/HIGH – Ensure EIA created and reviewed in line with policy creation/review

Link to EIA – G&C to complete hyperlink actionSIA – if required SIA Sign Off SIA Review

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION - This version will be placed on the public domain websiteIf this version CANNOT be placed on the public domain website, please provide a FOI redacted version.

Previous policies can be found with the Governance and Compliance team.


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Appendix A - Key information to be ontained by the first contact officer Appendix A: Call Handler/Initial Contact: Key information to be obtained.

Location of the victim (if in company remove to a safe location – do not send them away).

Who are they with Vehicle the victim is currently using What number are they calling from Are there any children involved Are they and others currently safe (depending on the circumstances they may not be

aware that they are in danger) Who else may be at risk Establish a way to make future safe contact with them Agree a safe word for you and them so that you can both be satisfied during future

contact that you are talking to each other If police are unable to make contact with the victim who can we safely contact for

accurate information about their whereabouts. If they are not safe can they get to a place of safety (hotel, GP, police station, trusted

friend, their work place) Arrange to meet with them in a secure safe location Reassure them about confidentiality Obtain information about the perpetrators; Who are they When and where did the victim last see them What offences have they committed What vehicles do they use Explain their options to them Agree a safety plan (appendix C) with the victim Will they be taken out of the country Where are they likely to be taken Do they need an interpreter Restrict access to STORM log (this can always be subsequently reviewed). Contact the duty Detective Sergeant or KF1 as soon as possible.


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Appendix B – Further information to be obtained

Appendix B: Further information to be obtained:

Where is the victim’s passport(s)(in cases of dual nationality they may have more than one)

What is their passport number and date of issue Try to obtain a copy of the passport or the original if possible Record any injuries (seek medical treatment if necessary) Take a family history Seek the victim’s consent to refer them to other agencies* What is the victim’s nationality Victim’s date and place of birth Where do they work Are they currently in a relationship, do the perpetrator know Have other family members previously been subjected to a forced marriage or

honour based violence Where do the perpetrators live and work, place they frequent Encourage the victim to stop contact with their family as they may persuade, deceive

them into returning. Complete a VIST.


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Appendix C – Safety plan

Appendix C: Safety Plan

Ensure the victim has a phone (to be kept hidden if necessary). Consider any applications that might reveal the location of the victim via their phone.

Many iPhone and Android phones have ‘track my phone’ options. Agree a safe place for the victim to go if they feel at risk/threatened Ensure the victim has transport or funds to get to the safe place Ensure the victim has the correct contact numbers to alert police or other agencies

that they are in trouble Agree a trusted person that the police can contact if the victim cannot be contacted Agree an alert/danger word that the victim could use to alert police that they are in

trouble if they unable to talk If the victim is being taken out of the country advise them to hide a metal object on

their person so that the security alarms will be triggered and the victim can seek help. Create a cover story the victim can use if they are stopped or seen by a perpetrator. Ask the victim to consider deleting any relevant text messages or phone logs from

their phone if there is a risk that these will be looked at.


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Appendix D – Overseas safety plan

Appendix D: Overseas safety plan

If the victim is a British National ensure they are aware of the location of the British embassy in the location they will be travelling to

Ensure the phone they have works overseas Ensure they have the correct contact numbers to alert agencies abroad Ensure they have emergency money in the correct currency Ensure they keep details of their passport number and date of issue Date they are due to return to the UK. Ask them to make contact as soon as they

return. Contact the force marriage unit for further advice All ports warning (FIB)


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Appendix E – External support agencies

Appendix E: external support agencies

Karma Nirvana – A UK registered charity who support victims and survivors of HBV and FM. Telephone 0800 5999 247

Forced Marriage unit - a joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Home Office unit giving support to victims of forced marriage as well as to professionals dealing with cases - 0207 008 0151

Freedom Charity – UK charity who offer support to victims and friends and signpost to agencies and have the only 24/7 help and textline 0845 607 0133 text 4freedom to 88802 – They also have a free app that can be downloaded on a smartphone which means they are 2 clicks away from contacting police and other agencies such as Childline .


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