As part of the Government’s new plan to “crackdown on domestic abusers on a large scale”, GMP will pilot the new Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Orders in the Greater Manchester region.
This cross-jurisdictional order aims to provide flexible and longer-term protection for victims.
This ultimately means that that the court will be able to impose requirements – such as attendance to perpetrator behaviour change programmes – alongside electronic monitoring and making it mandatory for offenders to notify the police of name and address changes, according to GMP – with a breach of any requirement being a criminal offence that could result in fines, up to five years in prison, or a combination of both.
GMP will also be required to work with The Home Office to “proactively highlight and reiterate” who the most dangerous domestic abusers are in their force area to prevent them from committing further crimes.
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A new assessment tool will also help police identify domestic abusers who are most likely to commit greatest harm – including those without convictions.
Some of the other measures being introduced as part of the pilot scheme will see coercive and controlling behaviour put on par with physical violence, and offenders that are sentenced to a year or more for controlling and coercive behaviour will be recorded on the ‘Violent and Sex Offender register’, alongside other dangerous domestic abuse perpetrators.
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Violence against women and girls will also be classified as a national threat for policing, and will be added as a strategic policing requirement for the first time.
Greater protection for victims of domestic abuse will be enforced to ensure they receive the correct support for their needs.
On top of this, the Government has committed to establishing 18 centres across the UK that will be recognised as ‘safe spaces’ for victims of abuse to receive emergency help.
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There, they will be offered “appropriate support from the police or support services”.
Greater Manchester Police to pilot new measures to tackle domestic abuse / Credit: GMP
GMP’s Detective Chief Superintendent, Michaela Kerr, says the force has been chosen for the pilot in recognition of “the significant improvements” it has made in its “arrangements towards domestic abuse”.
“There will no longer need to be violence involved to meet the rounds for an order to be issued,” she explained, “and this will particularly strengthen our opportunities around coercive control and can be used all types of domestic abuse whether it be physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, or financial.”
#CLARESLAW | GMP & other police forces across the UK are allowed to disclose information to a potential victim of domestic abuse, if you believe your partner may be a danger to you.
DCS Kerr said the pilot scheme means GMP will ensure that it “maximises every opportunity that this gives us to better protect victims and reassure the public that we’re all working together to improve our response to domestic abuse.
“If you are a victim of domestic abuse, know someone who is or has been affected by domestic abuse or violence, we can support you.
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“We would urge those who are being domestically abused in any form to contact us directly as GMP can also put you in touch with other support organisations that understand your specific needs.
GMP anticipates the pilot will be officially launched in June 2023.
Featured Image – iStockPhoto
News
Government sets out multi-million-pound plan to move UK away from animal testing in science
Emily Sergeant
A £22m push to ramp up the UK’s move away from animal testing in science is set to bring together cutting-edge tech and research.
The latest figures show there were 2.54 million animal testing procedures in Great Britain in 2025, which is down 3.8% on 2024, but with a further update due to be released later this year, the Government is now moving to ‘capitalise’ on that momentum with funding to shift the nation onto alternative testing options.
A dedicated national research hub and nine new high-tech projects are planned to develop ‘better ways’ to test medicines on human biology rather than animals.
According to the Government, this means treatments for conditions like cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) could be developed ‘faster’ and ‘more precisely’ to not only help patients but crucially also move science away from traditional animal testing.
At the heart of the plans is a new Pre-clinical Translational Models Hub – based in Cambridge and backed by £20 million in Government funding, which will work to build and share models of human tissue, grown from NHS patients, to test new treatments.
The new hub will accelerate the development of testing on ‘organoids’ – tiny, simplified versions of a human gut, tumour or brain, using cells donated by patients.
From beating heart cells in a dish to AI that can predict how drugs move through the body, exciting alternatives to animal testing are transforming medical research.
We're investing £22m to help scientists develop the next generation of life-saving treatments. pic.twitter.com/1EWRQvwySa
— Dept. for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (@biztradegovuk) August 12, 2026
Because these ‘organoids’ retain crucial features of a patient’s own biology, they will help researchers learn how a real person may respond to a drug and provide additional insights that can complement information that is currently obtained from animals.
Scientists will then be able to use these cutting-edge techniques in their own labs to work out which medicines are worth pursuing.
Overall, it’s hoped that the move will slash the time it takes to get ‘potentially life-changing’ treatments to market.
Alongside the funding for the new Hub, nine cutting-edge projects aimed at identifying new methods of animal-free scientific testing – from beating heart cells in a dish, to lab-grown human ear models, and AI that predicts how medicines move through the body – are being funded.
Sadly, many of these still rely on testing on dogs and monkeys, as it stands.
“This marks another significant step forward in the UK’s move away from animal testing in science and research,” commented Science Minister Chris McDonald.
“This is all about backing our world-leading researchers and innovators to improve lives, giving them the tools they need to deliver more effective treatments for horrendous diseases like cancer, while also preventing the need for animal testing wherever possible.
“It’s also a boost for our life sciences sector, fuelling opportunities for new investment and new jobs, and ensuring Britain is better off.”
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
21st February 2023 
