Skip to:

  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to accessibility
City, University of London
  • Student Hub
  • Staff Hub
Search
Menu
Home
  • Prospective students
    • Courses
      • Undergraduate degrees
      • Apprenticeships
      • Foundation courses
      • Postgraduate taught degrees
      • Postgraduate research degrees
      • Short courses
      • Professional development courses
      • City Health courses
    • Apply
      • Entry requirements
      • How to apply
        • Undergraduate
        • Apprenticeship
        • Information for teachers
        • Postgraduate taught
        • Postgraduate research
          • Preparing your application
            • Preparing your research proposal
          • All PhD research projects
        • Short courses
          • The Novel Studio published alumni
      • Prospectus
        • Undergraduate
        • Postgraduate
        • Short courses
      • Visas
        • Student visas
          • Applying from outside the UK
          • Applying from within the UK
          • Applying for a dependant visa
          • Preparing your application
          • Working in the UK
        • Standard Visitor visas
          • How to apply for a Standard Visitor Visa
          • Non-visa nationals
        • ATAS certificates
        • Brexit and European nationals
      • Study abroad programmes
        • Partnership programme
      • Clearing
        • Applying through Clearing
      • Alternative entry routes
        • Foundation programmes
        • Second-year students
        • Work experience
      • Contact Admissions
    • Finance
      • Funding options
      • Earn while you learn
      • How to pay
        • Payment methods
        • Fee schedules
        • Deposit refunds
      • Additional expenses
    • Accommodation and housing
      • Compare residential halls
      • Applying for halls
        • Undergraduate
        • Postgraduate
        • Clearing
      • Paying for halls
      • Private accommodation
        • Finding a place to live
        • Accommodation for families
      • Short-term accommodation
    • Open events and fairs
      • Campus tours
      • Online chats
        • Undergraduate online events
        • Postgraduate online events
        • Ask a student
      • University fairs
    • Student life
      • London experience
      • Local area
      • Sports
        • Sport clubs
        • Non-competitive sport
        • Competitive sport
      • Social activities and groups
      • Religion
      • Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer plus
      • Volunteering
      • Student wellbeing
        • Mental health counselling
        • Learning support
        • Young, estranged students
        • Care leavers
        • Young adult carers
        • Personal tutoring programme
      • Learn another language
    • Career development
      • Placements, internships and employment opportunities
        • Micro-placements
      • Career pathways
      • Job prospects and graduate destinations
      • Careers team
      • What is an apprenticeship?
    • Subjects
  • Research
    • Research centres and groups
    • Research impact
      • Research Excellence Framework
      • Research case studies
    • Research strategy
    • Research support
      • Grants and funding
      • Integrity and ethics
        • Research ethics
          • Principles
          • Approval process
          • Approval outcomes and appeals
          • External ethics approvals
        • Ethics guidance and resources
          • Participant information and consent
          • Recruiting participants from City
          • Records management
          • Research conducted abroad
          • FAQ
        • Research integrity
          • Framework for good practice in research
          • Research misconduct
      • Research data
        • Managing active research data
        • Digital research data and Figshare
      • Researcher development
    • Doctoral College
      • Funding and scholarships
      • Essential information
      • Meet the Team
      • Training and Development
        • Researcher Development Programme (DRDP)
      • Research Supervisors
  • For businesses
    • Start your business
      • Develop your startup idea
        • One-to-one startup advice
        • The Good Entrepreneur Festival
        • Startup Camp
        • Startup Seminars
        • Side Hustle
        • CitySpark Workshops
      • Launch your startup
        • Start-up visa
        • Launch Lab
    • Grow your business
      • Fund your business
      • Hire an academic consultant
      • Purchase our intellectual property
      • Companies formed
    • Develop your people
      • Bespoke training
      • My Home Life England
      • Degree apprenticeships for business
        • What is the apprenticeship levy?
    • Business impact case studies
    • Access our student talent
      • Recruit with us
      • Meet and support our students
        • Become a mentor
        • Employer engagement events
        • Micro-Placements
        • Industry Led Projects
      • Information for placement partners
        • Speech and Language Therapy training
  • Alumni and supporters
    • Alumni benefits
    • Global alumni network
      • Networks and Groups
        • City Alumni LinkedIn groups
        • MENA Alumni Board
        • US Alumni Board
      • Alumni Ambassadors
      • Special Interest Groups
      • Alumni News and stories
    • Contact Alumni Relations
    • Support City
      • Donate to City
      • Volunteering
      • Your impact
  • News and events
    • News
    • Events
    • Social media directory
      • City social accounts
        • WeChat social accounts
      • School and Departmental accounts
  • About us
    • Schools and Departments
      • School of Policy and Global Affairs
        • About the School
          • Athena SWAN
          • English for academic purposes (EAP)
        • Department of International Politics
        • Department of Sociology and Criminology
          • Postgraduate Sociology at City
        • Department of Economics
      • School of Communication and Creativity
        • About the School
          • Athena SWAN
        • Department of Journalism
          • James Cameron Memorial Lecture
            • Lectures
            • Special awards
            • Winners
        • Department of Media, Culture and Creative Industries
          • English, Publishing and Creative Writing
          • Culture and the Creative Industries
          • Library and Information Science
          • Media and Communications
        • Department of Performing Arts
      • Bayes Business School
      • School of Health and Psychological Sciences
        • About the School
          • Athena SWAN
          • Selection Process
          • Occupational Health Checks
          • Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced check (formerly CRB)
          • MSc Nursing - RPL
          • Reference request
        • Department of Health Services Research and Management
          • Health Services Management at City
        • Department of Language and Communication Science
        • Department of Midwifery and Radiography
          • Radiography undergraduate learning contract
          • Midwifery at City
          • Radiography at City
        • Department of Nursing
        • Department of Optometry and Visual Sciences
        • Department of Psychology
      • School of Science and Technology
        • About the School
          • Athena SWAN
          • Aviation Management at City
          • Civil Engineering at City
          • Computer Science at City
          • Cyber Security MSc courses at City
          • Energy MSc courses at City
          • Library and Information Science at City
          • Maritime Management at City
          • Placements and internships
            • Placement and internship schemes
        • Department of Computer Science
        • Department of Mathematics
          • Potential PhD projects
        • Department of Engineering
      • The City Law School
        • Academic programmes
        • Professional programmes
        • About the School
          • Contact the City Law School
          • How to find us
          • Legal careers
          • Careers advice
            • Pupillage Advice Service
            • Training Contract Advisory Service
          • Courses
            • Undergraduate
            • Professional courses
            • Master of Laws (LLM)
            • The Solicitor’s Qualifying Exam (SQE)
            • Continuing Professional Development courses
          • Global Engagement
          • Pro-Bono
            • The School Exclusion Project
            • Start-Ed Commercial Law Clinic
          • Research
            • Working Paper Series
            • ESRC Project
            • Ethics
            • Global Law@City
            • The Critical Corporation Project
            • Academic Visitor Programme
            • International Trade Law and Regulation
          • Support
            • Financing your study
          • Athena SWAN in the Law School
      • Dubai Centre
    • History
    • People
      • Academics
      • Research students
      • Students
      • Honorary graduates
      • Past students
      • Professional Services staff
      • International agents and representatives
      • Senior people
      • Extraordinary women
    • Facilities
      • Campuses
      • Libraries
      • Gym
      • University of London facilities
      • Specialist facilities
    • Work for us
      • Apply
      • Benefits
      • Career development
    • Vision and Strategy
      • Vision
      • Strategy
        • Better
        • Bigger
        • Partnerships
        • Living the values
      • Performance
      • Academic excellence
        • Rankings
        • Education
          • Flexible learning spaces
          • Active and collaborative learning
          • Term dates
        • Student statistics
      • Equality, diversity and inclusion
        • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
        • Data and objectives
        • Staff networks
      • Sustainable development
        • Get involved
        • Environmental Impact and Performance
      • Civic engagement
    • Governance and legal
      • Charter and Statutes
      • Rector
      • Council
        • Audit and Risk Committee
        • Corporate Governance and Nominations Committee
        • Remuneration Committee
        • Strategy, Implementation and Performance Committee
      • Senate
        • Board of Studies
        • Collaborative Provision Committee
        • Educational Quality Committee
        • Research and Enterprise Committee
        • Senate Research Ethics Committee
      • Executive leadership
      • Financial statements
        • Financial Summary
      • Legal documents and policies
      • Committees
    • Global City
    • Contact us and find us
      • Find us
      • Contact us
      • Staff directory
    • Guidance on Coronavirus
      • Admissions advice during coronavirus
        • Coronavirus accommodation information
      • Latest updates
      • Advice for visitors to our campus
  • Student Hub
  • Staff Hub
  • Prospective students
    Prospective students
    • Courses
      • Undergraduate degrees
      • Apprenticeships
      • Foundation courses
      • Postgraduate taught degrees
      • Postgraduate research degrees
      • Short courses
      • Professional development courses
      • City Health courses
    • Apply
      • Entry requirements
      • How to apply
      • Prospectus
      • Visas
      • Study abroad programmes
      • Clearing
      • Alternative entry routes
      • Contact Admissions
    • Finance
      • Funding options
      • Earn while you learn
      • How to pay
      • Additional expenses
    • Accommodation and housing
      • Compare residential halls
      • Applying for halls
      • Paying for halls
      • Private accommodation
      • Short-term accommodation
    • Open events and fairs
      • Campus tours
      • Online chats
      • University fairs
    • Student life
      • London experience
      • Local area
      • Sports
      • Social activities and groups
      • Religion
      • Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer plus
      • Volunteering
      • Student wellbeing
      • Learn another language
    • Career development
      • Placements, internships and employment opportunities
      • Career pathways
      • Job prospects and graduate destinations
      • Careers team
      • What is an apprenticeship?
    • Subjects
  • Research
    Research
    • Research centres and groups
    • Research impact
      • Research Excellence Framework
      • Research case studies
    • Research strategy
    • Research support
      • Grants and funding
      • Integrity and ethics
      • Research data
      • Researcher development
    • Doctoral College
      • Funding and scholarships
      • Essential information
      • Meet the Team
      • Training and Development
      • Research Supervisors
  • For businesses
    For businesses
    • Start your business
      • Develop your startup idea
      • Launch your startup
    • Grow your business
      • Fund your business
      • Hire an academic consultant
      • Purchase our intellectual property
      • Companies formed
    • Develop your people
      • Bespoke training
      • My Home Life England
      • Degree apprenticeships for business
    • Business impact case studies
    • Access our student talent
      • Recruit with us
      • Meet and support our students
      • Information for placement partners
  • Alumni and supporters
    Alumni and supporters
    • Alumni benefits
    • Global alumni network
      • Networks and Groups
      • Alumni Ambassadors
      • Special Interest Groups
      • Alumni News and stories
    • Contact Alumni Relations
    • Support City
      • Donate to City
      • Volunteering
      • Your impact
  • News and events
    News and events
    • News
    • Events
    • Social media directory
      • City social accounts
      • School and Departmental accounts
  • About us
    About us
    • Schools and Departments
      • School of Policy and Global Affairs
      • School of Communication and Creativity
      • Bayes Business School
      • School of Health and Psychological Sciences
      • School of Science and Technology
      • The City Law School
      • Dubai Centre
    • History
    • People
      • Academics
      • Research students
      • Students
      • Honorary graduates
      • Past students
      • Professional Services staff
      • International agents and representatives
      • Senior people
      • Extraordinary women
    • Facilities
      • Campuses
      • Libraries
      • Gym
      • University of London facilities
      • Specialist facilities
    • Work for us
      • Apply
      • Benefits
      • Career development
    • Vision and Strategy
      • Vision
      • Strategy
      • Performance
      • Academic excellence
      • Equality, diversity and inclusion
      • Sustainable development
      • Civic engagement
    • Governance and legal
      • Charter and Statutes
      • Rector
      • Council
      • Senate
      • Executive leadership
      • Financial statements
      • Legal documents and policies
      • Committees
    • Global City
    • Contact us and find us
      • Find us
      • Contact us
      • Staff directory
    • Guidance on Coronavirus
      • Admissions advice during coronavirus
      • Latest updates
      • Advice for visitors to our campus
Some of our Schools and departments are changing. Find out more.
  1. Home
  2. …
  3. Research impact
  4. Research case studies
  5. Reforming police responses to reports of rape and domestic abuse
Research impact
  • Research Excellence Framework
  • Research case studies
Back view of a woman sitting on a bed, looking out a window.
Research case study

Reforming police responses to reports of rape and domestic abuse

City academic’s ground-breaking research is informing police reforms both in the UK and internationally

The researchers:

  • Dr Katrin Hohl (Principal Investigator)

Research status:Ongoing

This is Impact: Improving Police Responses to Sexual and Domestic Violence 2 minutes

In summary

Research undertaken by Dr Katrin Hohl across a seven-year period has had a deep reach in police forces across the UK, directly informing police understanding of sexual and domestic violence; changing police training, procedures, and resource allocation; and benefiting victim-survivors of sexual or domestic violence.

Most recently, Dr Hohl’s research on domestic abuse during Covid-19 informed police force decision-making nationally and increased resource allocation to domestic abuse within one force.

What did we explore and how?

There were several strands to Dr Hohl’s wide-ranging research.

Less than one per cent of rapes reported to police result in a conviction. Dr Hohl’s study of this ‘attrition problem’ in relation to rape convictions produced first-of-its-kind robust empirical evidence through statistical analysis of a representative sample of 587 rape complaints made to Europe’s largest police force, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

A further analysis of the MPS rape case files dataset was used to explore how human memory impacts rape case attrition. In complaints of rape the victim’s memory is frequently the only (and nearly always the central) piece of evidence of the alleged rape.

Building on her research, Dr Hohl secured a HEFCE/Home Office Police Knowledge Fund Grant in 2015 to study current police training and officer understanding of rape victim engagement, the attrition problem, and to develop new training based on these findings in collaboration with the MPS and Sussex Constabulary.

She conducted interviews with a representative sample of police officers.

A subsequent domestic abuse risk assessment provided the first robust statistical analysis of which risk factors were most helpful in identifying high-risk domestic abuse cases.

Dr Hohl used innovative modelling to analyse the risk assessment tool, which officers in England and Wales must complete at every domestic incident they attend. The risk assessment is crucial in triggering safeguarding to preventing further harm, including homicide.

From June 2020, Dr Hohl investigated the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns on domestic abuse reported to police. The research analysed all domestic abuse-flagged incidents and crimes reported to seven police forces across England since the onset of the pandemic.

Data was compared to those of the two previous years, to account for seasonal and long-term trends, and then mapped onto the introduction and lifting of national and local Covid-19 restrictions.

Benefits and influence of this research

Dr Hohl and her co-investigators used their research findings to develop new, evidence-based training for police officers who investigate rape and sexual assault, now used by at least two police forces.

The research prompted police forces to pioneer Dr Hohl’s proposal of an innovative, anonymous reporting route specifically designed for sexual violence victim-survivors, improving their access to criminal justice.

Dr Hohl’s work has shaped changes to the risk assessment police officers in England and Wales complete at domestic incidents, directly benefitting victim-survivors and preventing further harm, including homicide.

Internationally, Dr Hohl’s research is being used to inform rape law reform processes in Japan and Australia.

Share this case study

Details of this research

  • Dr Katrin Hohl (Principal Investigator)
  • Research status: Ongoing

    Topic: domestic abuse, police training, rape

    Industry/sector: Criminology, Policing

    Project partners/stakeholders:

    School of Policy and Global Affairs

    Department of Sociology and Criminology

    Related event

    • Nov 10

      Postgraduate Open Evening

      Join us at our Virtual Open Evening to learn more about our postgraduate courses and discover all the benefits of studying at City, University of London.

      Wednesday, 10th November 2021, 17:00 – 19:00

      Location: Online

      Audience: Prospective students

    Help us to improve this page

    City, University of London

    • Library Services
    • Moodle
    • Email
    • Staff directory
    • Term dates
    • Book a room
    • Schools and departments

    Back to top

    Contact us

    +44 (0)20 7040 5060
    Make an enquiry

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Weibo
    • Youku
    • WeChat
    Social media directory

    Find us

    City, University of London
    Northampton Square
    London EC1V 0HB
    United Kingdom

    Campus map

    Our global campuses

    • London
    • Dubai
    • Athena SWAN: Bronze Award
    • UKRI Research England logo

    Useful links

    • Accessibility
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies
    • City Store
    • Support City
    • Work for City
    • City Magazine
    • 中文

    © 2022 City, University of London

    University of London