Domestic Abuse Specialist to Join Dyfed-Powys 999 Control Room This Month Under Raneem's Law

From this month, anyone in Pembrokeshire or across the Dyfed-Powys area who contacts police about domestic abuse will have access to specialist support from the very first phone call, as a new adviser takes up a post inside the force's emergency control room.

Dyfed-Powys Police is one of only twelve forces in England and Wales selected to take part in the second phase of Raneem's Law, a Home Office initiative funded to improve how police identify and protect victims of domestic abuse at the earliest possible stage.

The scheme places a full-time Independent Domestic Violence Adviser, known as an IDVA, alongside emergency call handlers inside the Force Communication Centre. The aim is to ensure that when a victim dials 999 or 101, a trained specialist is on hand immediately to assess risk, offer guidance and make sure the right support is put in place without delay.

Named After Murder Victims

Raneem's Law takes its name from Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered in 2018 after making repeated calls to police for help. Their deaths led to calls for domestic abuse expertise to be built into police control rooms across the country, and the Home Office committed to rolling out the initiative to every force in England and Wales by 2029.

The initiative in Dyfed-Powys is delivered through a partnership between the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, which holds the Home Office grant, and Calan Domestic Violence Services, which is providing the IDVA post.

For local people, this represents a significant change to how the force handles some of its most sensitive and high-risk calls. Until now, a caller reporting domestic abuse would speak with a standard call handler who would then decide whether to refer the matter on. Under the new arrangement, a domestic abuse specialist is present in the room from the outset.

The Government has pledged to extend the scheme to all forces in England and Wales by 2029. Anyone in Pembrokeshire experiencing domestic abuse can contact Dyfed-Powys Police on 999 in an emergency or 101 for non-urgent matters, or reach Calan Domestic Violence Services directly for confidential support.