No longer a civil matter? The design and use of protection orders for domestic violence in England and Wales

Figures & data

Table 1. Restraining orders (ROs) and Non-Molestation Orders (NMOs) issued 2011 to 2017 (Ministry of Justice data)^a.

	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
ROs issued on conviction for harassment offences	n/a	4,637	5,090	5,907	6,340	6,041	6,820
ROs issued on conviction for stalking offences	n/a	n/a	249	495	529	412	941
ROs issued on conviction for other offences As % of all ROs issued	n/a	13,974	13,317 66%	13,008 61%	13,824 60%	17,796 70%	11,455 60%
ROs issued on acquittal As % of all ROs issued	1,358 7%	1,448 7%	1,667 8%	2,062 10%	2,328 10%	2,117 8%	1,932 10%
Total ROs issued	19,123	20,059	20,325	21,472	23,021	25,249	21,148
NMOs made	19,556	19,403	22,284	23,999	23,630	23,641	25,707

^aData on Restraining Orders presented in Tables 1 and 2 have been calculated from the data reported in the Stalking and Harassment data section of annual Crown Prosecution Service Violence Against Women and Girls Crime Reports, together with Ministry of Justice data on convictions for harassment and stalking offences made in the same calendar year (Crown Prosecution Service, 2012; Crown Prosecution Service 2014; Crown Prosecution Service 2016; Crown Prosecution Service 2017; Crown Prosecution Service 2018). The latest data at the time of manuscript acceptance related to calendar year 2017. Data on Non-Molestation orders are taken from the Ministry of Justice quarterly publication Family Court Statistics. The latest data at the time of manuscript acceptance related to calendar year 2018 (Ministry of Justice, 2018).

Figure 1. Restraining orders in England and Wales, 2011–2017.

Table 2. Prosecutions and convictions for breach of Restraining Orders and Non-Molestation Orders, 2011–2017.

	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Total ROs issued (MoJ data)	19,123	20,059	20,325	21,472	23,021	25,249	21,148
Breach of RO prosecuted (MoJ data) As % of ROs issued	5,039 28%	6,600 33%	7,454 37%	8,506 40%	9,594 42%	10,279 41%	10,091 48%
Breach of RO convicted (MoJ data) As % of ROs issued	4,376 25%	16,076 29%	6,520 32%	7,543 35%	8,631 37%	9,230 37%	9,149 43%
Breach of RO prosecuted (CPS data)	8,733	10,275	11,681	13,559	15,384	16,614	17,012
% prosecutions DA-related	72%	71%	76%	80%	85%	84%	87%
NMOs made (MoJ data)	19,556	19,403	22,284	23,999	23,630	23,641	25,707
Breach NMO prosecuted (CPS data) As % of NMOs made	5,323 27%	5,563 29%	6,498 29%	7,013 29%	6,672 28%	6,505 28%	6,266 24%
% prosecutions DA-related	81%	79%	86%	90%	94%	95%	95%

Figure 2. Non-molestation orders made in England and Wales, 2003–2018.

Crown Prosecution Service, 2012. Violence against women and girls crime report 2011-12. London: Crown Prosecution Service.

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Crown Prosecution Service, 2014. Violence against women and girls crime report 2013-14. London: Crown Prosecution Service.

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Crown Prosecution Service, 2016. Violence against women and girls crime report 2015-16. London: Crown Prosecution Service.

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Crown Prosecution Service, 2017. Violence against women and girls crime report 2016-17. London: Crown Prosecution Service.

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Crown Prosecution Service, 2018. Violence against women and girls crime report 2017-18. London: Crown Prosecution Service.

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Ministry of Justice (2018). Family Court Statistics Quarterly England and Wales, October to December 2018. London: Ministry of Justice.

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