Dr. Susan Watson, University of York with the North Yorkshire Police
This project investigates digitally enabled coercive control in York and North Yorkshire (YNY) by analysing qualitative data gathered from North Yorkshire Police, Victim Support, and other stakeholders. Despite the rising use of surveillance technologies (e.g. doorbell cameras, GPS tracking devices, and location-sharing tools) for digitally enabled coercive control, academic research utilising such evidence from both law enforcement and survivors remains limited. This project addresses this critical knowledge gap.
Working alongside regional partners and practitioners, the research pursues five strategic objectives:
- Scale: How many offences over a defined period include an element of digitally‑enabled coercive control?
- Nature: What commonalities exist across cases reported to police?
- Training and support: What knowledge gaps do police officers identify, what obstacles arise from these gaps, and what training or resources would improve investigative practice?
- Securing future dissemination of best practice: How can best practice from other forces be rapidly shared with frontline officer
- Improvements: How can support for victim‑survivors be strengthened? Insights from individuals with lived experience and organisations working in this area will inform recommendations for improved service provision.
By mapping the experiences of survivors and practitioners, this study aims to refine local responses, ensuring that policing policy and responses on the ground keep pace with the rapidly evolving technological landscape of domestic abuse.
For more project details and updates please see their website: https://digitalcoercivecontrol.org/