Navigating coercive control: making sense of police response to a legislative intervention

Thesis

The legislative intervention that criminalised controlling or coercive behaviour in England and Wales attempted to shift policing from focusing on discrete incidents of physical violence to identifying a pattern of abusive behaviour. This thesis examines how the police have navigated the criminalisation of coercive control and translated the legislation into practice. The findings address a gap in the literature by including an in-depth qualitative analysis that considers both the individual and joint role of the police in responding to coercive control, interrogating how officers negotiate the challenges presented by the legislation. This study is informed by a theoretical framework that considers the influence of officers’ understanding, interpersonal interactions, multi-agency working, and organisational and legal context on their discretionary practice.

Drawing on qualitative data from interviews, case files, and observations, and quantitative police- recorded outcome data, the analysis shows how evidential and victim engagement challenges contribute to an entrenched perception of the coercive control offence as intractable. The legislation induced a conflict between organisational objectives, available resources, and safeguarding responsibilities for officers. This conflict facilitated officers’ working practice to use their discretion to pursue alternative offences or protective measures. For some officers, the legislation also served an educative function concerning the risks associated with coercive control. Furthermore, those officers who overcame the barriers to practice utilised professional curiosity and the resources of their colleagues and partners. These findings inform the policing, domestic abuse, coercive control, and socio-legal literature, using a case study of coercive control to demonstrate how a legislative intervention is interpreted and translated into practice through a process of negotiated discretion.

Authors: Hoeger, K

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: coercive control; domestic abuse; policing; policy; legislation; intimate partner violence
• Subjects: Crime; Police; Intimate partner violence