Evaluation of WEPROTECT finds technology-enabled service provides multiple benefits for police and victim-survivors of domestic abuse.
A major Home Office-funded project has found that WEPROTECT, a technology-enabled remote Protective Order support service for domestic abuse (DA) survivors, provides significant benefits for police and victim-survivors.
The study evaluated the rollout of the WEPROTECT service by police forces across parts of Sussex, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands from October 2022 to March 2025. The independent evaluation involved analysis of over 3,300 DA cases and more than 220 interviews with police officers, victim-survivors, solicitors and staff.
The evaluation was led by researchers at the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Crime, Justice and Policing. It was supported by researchers from Brunel University of London, the University of Nottingham, and We: Are (a survivor-led organisation that educates and empowers women).
WEPROTECT, developed by the Domestic Abuse Alliance, offers a pathway to free remote legal assistance, including helping survivors prepare applications for civil protection orders and legal aid assessment, alongside legal representation from an independent national solicitor network.
Our findings show that when implemented with strong police engagement and clear local partnerships, WEPROTECT can significantly improve reporting rates, reduce revictimisation and empower survivors to pursue legal protection.
WEPROTECT, developed by the Domestic Abuse Alliance, offers a pathway to free remote legal assistance, including helping survivors prepare applications for civil protection orders and legal aid assessment, alongside legal representation from an independent national solicitor network.
The evaluation found that use of the app has several significant benefits, including:
Professor Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, Director of the Centre for Crime, Justice and Policing, University of Birmingham, said: “This is the most rigorous evaluation to date of a remote legal intervention for domestic abuse survivors. Our findings show that when implemented with strong police engagement and clear local partnerships, WEPROTECT can significantly improve reporting rates, reduce revictimisation and empower survivors to pursue legal protection. While there is more work to do to ensure equitable support for all survivors, WEPROTECT has proven to be a vital early intervention tool.”
Domestic abuse is a devastating crime, but no government can tackle this issue alone. That’s why we welcome forces doing things differently—finding practical ways to support victims and get them protection faster. But this mission continues.
Sussex Police trialled the WEPROTECT service across the Eastern side of the force, with the Western side of Sussex acting as a control site. After considering the evaluation results it is now rolling WEPROTECT out across the entire police force.
The study found a reduction of up to 30% in reported revictimisation at six months for survivors referred to WEPROTECT in Sussex, where the intervention was piloted, compared to a comparable group where the pilot did not run. Of all the evaluation sites, the Sussex pilot ran for the longest period, and the data was the most detailed, allowing for robust statistical methods to match the treatment and comparison groups. The associated estimated economic benefit of using WEPROTECT was between £2.2m - £4.1m in cost savings from reduced revictimisation.
Detective Superintendent Ben Newman, Sussex Police, said: “WEPROTECT has transformed how quickly we can connect survivors to meaningful legal support. Our officers found the referral process simple and fast - and survivors repeatedly said they felt reassured by the rapid follow-up from the WEPROTECT team.
“Since the initial evaluation period, we have begun a force-wide implementation of WEPROTECT to ensure every attending officer has immediate access to this safeguarding pathway. Embedding the service across all our teams is strengthening our response to domestic abuse, improving consistency for survivors and enabling earlier protective interventions when criminal thresholds aren’t met but risks remain high.”
WEPROTECT has transformed how quickly we can connect survivors to meaningful legal support. Our officers found the referral process simple and fast - and survivors repeatedly said they felt reassured by the rapid follow-up from the WEPROTECT team.
Greater Manchester Police trialled the WEPROTECT service across the majority of its districts. They rolled it out in phases and the evaluation team was able to assess how it was being implemented across the different districts.
West Midlands Police trialled the WEPROTECT app across parts of its Rapid Video Response (RVR) desk, a tech-driven way to quickly connect with victims of non-emergency domestic abuse via a video call response. It was trialled across two of their three teams working at this desk, with the third acting as a comparator.
Police officers across all areas involved in the project praised the WEPROTECT referral service, calling it “extremely user-friendly”, with many highlighting that survivors welcome a rapid, non-police route to legal protection which does not leave them to negotiate the system alone. Survivors valued the speed of contact, flexibility of communication channels and clarity around legal processes provided by WEPROTECT, with many reporting feeling safer and more informed.
Interviews with police officers and the service provider indicated that senior police officer buy-in was key to the success of the WEPROTECT roll-out across the three force areas.
A recently published Government White Paper, From local to national: a new model for policing, set out comprehensive reforms to policing in England and Wales to enable better delivery for the public. The White Paper recognises the importance of putting victims at the centre of the policing service.
The three police services that took part in the evaluation continue to use the service post evaluation.
Our mission has always been to make legal protection faster and more accessible so that survivors can secure legal protection and start to feel safe again. This evaluation clearly shows that WEPROTECT is doing exactly that.
Razi Hassan, co-founder of Domestic Abuse Alliance, said: “Our mission has always been to make legal protection faster and more accessible so that survivors can secure legal protection and start to feel safe again. This evaluation clearly shows that WEPROTECT is doing exactly that. We are committed to working with police, local authorities and specialist services to continue strengthening support for all survivors. We hope the Home Office will use these compelling findings to inform future policy, funding and national rollout decisions.”
Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy, published in December 2025, sets out the UK government’s vision and actions for meeting its ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. The strategy commits £550 million over three years to victim support and radically reforms commissioning. This creates space for specialist services like WEPROTECT to expand and innovate.
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls Jess Phillips said: “Domestic abuse is a devastating crime, but no government can tackle this issue alone. That’s why we welcome forces doing things differently—finding practical ways to support victims and get them protection faster. But this mission continues. We will deploy the full power of the state to halve violence against women and girls in a decade."
The research makes several recommendations based on the positive evaluation results, including:
The research shows that technology can support law enforcement and victims, but tools need robust evaluation to ensure that aims are met to help victim-survivors and police officers.
For more information, please contact Ellie Hail, Communications Officer, University of Birmingham at e.hail@bham.ac.uk or alternatively on +44 (0)7966 311 409. You can also contact the press office on +44 (0) 121 414 2772.
Professor of Economics
Professor Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay is an internationally recognised economist in the field of political economy and public policy.
