Home Office
We are consulting on whether draft the statutory guidance for police on domestic abuse protection notices (DAPNs) and domestic abuse protection orders (DAPOs) is clear and comprehensive.
In the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (DA Act), the government legislated for a new civil DAPN to provide immediate protection following a domestic abuse incident and a new civil DAPO to provide flexible, longer-term protection for victims.
The DAPN and DAPO provide protection from all forms of domestic abuse as defined in Section 1 of the DA Act, not just from physical violence or the threat of physical violence. This may include, sexual abuse, violent or threatening behaviour, controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse, and psychological or emotional abuse.