Domestic Abuse Protection Order pilot expands to the City of Manchester, with 45 orders already granted in GM
The Domestic Abuse Protection Order (DAPO) pilot has expanded to the City of Manchester, with 45 orders already granted in Greater Manchester. The pilot, initially rolled out in Bury and Wigan, provides additional safeguards for victims and stricter punishments for perpetrators. In February alone, 18 DAPO applications were made, with 11 granted, one withdrawn, and others pending. The article highlights several cases where DAPOs were issued, including a 12-month order for a vulnerable victim and a case where a perpetrator was jailed for breaching a DAPO. Detective Superintendent Jen Tattersall emphasized the importance of DAPOs in protecting victims and encouraged reporting of domestic abuse.
Greater Manchester’s pioneering Domestic Abuse Protection Orders pilot has secured 45 orders across Bury and Wigan since its December launch, with the scheme expanding city-wide to Manchester this week.
Police have processed 18 applications in February alone, with 11 successfully granted by the courts. The orders have already led to significant interventions, including the imprisonment of 39-year-old Michael Daly, who received a two-and-a-half-year sentence after breaching his protection order within days of it being granted.
Daly’s case illustrates the scheme’s immediate impact. Officers responding to reports of a woman screaming at a Manchester property found clear signs of disturbance despite the victim’s reluctance to pursue charges. Witness accounts and Daly’s criminal history convinced the court to impose a 28-day protection order, which he breached by threatening the victim days later.
The pilot has generated numerous success stories across Greater Manchester. In Wigan, courts extended a six-month order to nine months after police presented compelling evidence of sustained abuse. Another case saw a perpetrator receive a 12-week suspended sentence for smashing through his victim’s front door, with alcohol treatment mandated as a condition of his freedom.
Detective Superintendent Jen Tattersall, newly appointed as GMP’s domestic abuse lead, emphasized the expanding program’s impact: “DAPOs have already made a difference to the lives of several victims in Greater Manchester who have been subject to abuse at the hands of family members or partners.”
The central DAPO team has doubled in size to support district applications, with officers successfully securing orders even when victims fear engaging directly with police. The longest order to date spans 12 months, granted after staff at a supported living facility overheard a pregnant woman pleading for help during an assault.
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