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Detective Superintendent Paul Goundry is one of the domestic abuse experts who pitched their ideas for getting it right first time for victims and families at our annual conference. Here, he explains why it's so important to listen to the victim's voice. 

The police service in its work with the Home Office is intent on improving its response to domestic abuse by improving its consultation with victims. Currently, every force has its own way of learning about the victim's feelings but, in the main, we have shied away from contacting victims directly. This means that we do not understand what officers did well and what could have been done better to allow us to improve practice.

A national pilot taking place in spring/early summer 2015 will look at surveying victims by speaking directly with them. The question set is being developed with the assistance of third sector and academia and will allow forces to understand satisfaction levels and identify where improvements can be made.

If the pilot is a success, I expect all forces will adopt it.