Today marks International Women's Day, where the theme encourages us to 'break the bias'.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer wants Cheshire residents to celebrate the vital role that women play in the police family and reassure the women and girls in Cheshire that crimes against them will be taken seriously, and they will be offered the support they need.

He also wants female offenders to know that they will also be offered the support they need to change their behaviour and get back on the straight and narrow.

Women and girls can make up a disproportionate number of victims in certain types of crime, including violence such as domestic abuse and sexual crimes, and the Commissioner is encouraging every victim to speak out and report these crimes.

John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: "Breaking the bias means breaking the stigma of reporting crimes.

"The Government launched their Violence Against Women and Girls strategy in July, and last week launched their 'Enough' campaign to help change perpetrator behaviour and tackle societal issues.

"Here in Cheshire, we have a number of projects that focus on tackling violence and sexual assault. I am committed to providing all of the support I can to these projects, which are rolled out under the Safer Streets and Safety of Women at Night programmes.

"I will also continue to provide funding for Cheshire Constabulary's Harm Reduction Unit, which featured in the Stacey Dooley documentary on stalking, which provides support for victims and works with offenders to change their behaviour."

Although women and girls are more likely to be victims of certain crimes, breaking the bias also means ensuring that female perpetrators get the support they need to reintegrate into society, where appropriate.

John Dwyer added: "I think an important part of breaking the bias is to focus on female perpetrators who need help and support to become rehabilitated and integrated back into society.

"For some people, criminality is a way of life and whilst prison should be an option for dangerous offenders, short-term custodial sentences can be ineffective in addressing the root causes of lower-level crime.

"In my Police and Crime Plan, as part of my priority to deliver justice for victims of crime, I committed to continuing to fund Women's Centres across the county, who work with female offenders to divert them from the criminal justice system."

For further information from Cheshire Police please contact Jen Seed on [email protected] or call 07971 562150.

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