Force partners with Tara’s Angels to provide domestic abuse victims with smart doorbells

Victims of domestic-related crimes are being provided with home security improvements as part of a new initiative.

Nottinghamshire Police is working in partnership with Tara’s Angels to offer Ring doorbell cameras to victims of domestic abuse and other related crimes.

Tara’s Angels is a non-profit organisation that focuses on keeping families safe in their homes and previously offered support to vulnerable women and children living in refuges across Nottinghamshire.

As part of the force’s Prevention Hub, safeguarding, disruption and intervention unit officers provide risk assessments to identify vulnerable properties and introduce home security measures to reduce repeat victims of crime.

Following an assessment, officers can offer the technology on a case-by-case basis to various victims of domestic-related crimes, which have been provided to the force by Tara’s Angels.

A smart doorbell triggers an alert when it detects motion in front of a home. It allows live footage or a recording to be viewed via a connected device, providing reassurance and a deterrent for victims.

Tara Newbold, 29, was a mother of three who died at her West Bridgford home in 2016.

Duane Ballin was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent after he inflicted 37 separate injuries to Miss Newbold and received an extended 18-year sentence in 2018.

Tara’s mother Julie Dury and aunt Bev Turner now run the Tara’s Angels organisation in her memory to raise awareness of domestic abuse and are supporting the Nottinghamshire Police initiative.

The Prevention Hub is a collaboration between multiple force departments responsible for developing and delivering strategies to prevent crime and disorder throughout the city and county.

Chief Inspector David Vint, Nottinghamshire Police’s safeguarding and reducing reoffending unit lead, said: “Domestic violence is an horrific crime and we will do everything we can as a force to protect victims and ensure perpetrators are put behind bars.

“I would like to thank Tara’s Angels for supplying these doorbells. It is important that we do everything possible to help victims of domestic abuse feel safe in their own homes.

“These cameras are a supporting factor in this. However, they will never replace the need for positive police action which includes the early arrest of offenders and the use of civil orders.”

Bev Turner, from Tara’s Angels, said: “We are extremely fortunate and forever grateful to our many social media supporters and to Ring who generously donated security and safety equipment to our cause.

“Domestic abuse is real and absolutely devastating to women, their children, and their extended family.

“Sadly, our family know this only too well. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Nottinghamshire Police to ensure the donations we receive reach the women at most risk of serious harm across Nottinghamshire.”