West Midlands Police Use VOO For The First Time
Monday, 19 April, 2010
POLICE have deployed a new piece of legislation for the first time to offer further protection to the public from violent offenders.
Officers at West Midlands Police have successfully obtained a Violent Offender Order against a 22-year-old Birmingham man with a history of domestic violence.
The ruling, one of only a handful issued nationwide, means the offender has to adhere to a set of strict conditions or face a further five years in prison.
The order, which came into effect today, was taken out to provide added protection for his former partner and will last for two years.
The civil preventative order places restrictions on offenders who continue to pose a risk of serious violent harm by banning their access to certain places, premises, events or people.
The VOO has been hailed as a new tool to help manage the risk posed by offenders on completion of their initial jail sentence, far more effectively.
Any individual who has a VOO placed on them has an obligation to comply with registration requirements or risk further punishment.
They have to notify police of their name, address and any foreign travel along the same lines as the requirements for registered sexual offenders.
Superintendent Robert Mills, from the force's Public Protection unit, said: "The Violent Offender Order is another tool we can use to help protect the public and victims of violence. A breach of this order is punishable by up to five years imprisonment."
Kate Richards, barrister for West Midlands Police, said: "We are pleased to have obtained the first Violent Offender Order in the area.
"These orders are an excellent tool for managing risk of the most violent offenders and we are committed to obtaining such orders wherever the legal and evidential requirements are met."
The legislation for the Violent Offender Order was implemented nationally by the Home Office in August 2008.
