• Record any injuries and arrange a medical examination
  • Give them personal safety advice
  • Develop a safety plan
  • Establish if there is a family history of forced marriage, e.g. siblings forced to marry. Other indicators may include domestic violence, self-harm, family disputes, unreasonable restrictions (e.g. withdrawal from education or “house arrest”) or missing persons within the family
  • Advise them not to travel overseas. Discuss the difficulties they may face. If foreign travel with the family becomes unavoidable, take the precautions set out by the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU)
  • Identify any potential criminal offences and record any offences as per the home office counting rules. Police will be victim focussed and will liaise will CPS in all criminal cases
  • Give them advice on what service or support they should expect and from whom
  • Ensure that they have the contact details for all relevant support
  • Maintain a full record of the decisions made and the reason for those decisions
  • Information will be restricted and on a paper file
  • HBV/FM markers will be created on relevant police systems and the police OASIS log restricted
  • Refer them, with their consent, to appropriate local and national support groups, counselling services and women's groups that have a history of working with survivors of domestic abuse and forced marriage
  • Where appropriate discuss the case with the Forced Marriage Unit
  • Consider whether a communication specialist is needed if the victim is deaf, visually impaired or has learning disabilities.
  • Check police and social services' records for past referrals of family members including siblings – e.g. domestic abuse or missing persons within the family.

For further guidance police will check their intranet for the following documents:

Practice Guidance for Specialist Staff – Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour Based Violence (DASH) ACPO 2009

Practice Guidance for First Response Police Staff – Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour Based Violence (DASH) ACPO 2009

Risk Identification and Assessment Model for Police Staff – Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour Based Violence (DASH) ACPO 2009