A national charity working in Cheshire to help people at risk of ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) and harmful practices like FGM and forced marriage has warned that HBA remains a local issue, despite a decrease in reports of HBA-related offences by police.

Data published by the Home Office last week has shown a 16 percent decrease in ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA)-related offences reported by police in Cheshire in the year ending March 2024, and an eight percent decrease nationally.

However, since launching its partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire in April 2023, it has seen a 400 percent increase in HBA referrals into its service from the county.

Savera UK CEO and Founder, Afrah Qassim, said: “While a decrease in reports of HBA-offences appears positive, for us as a frontline grassroots organisation, today’s data is deeply concerning.

“What is being reported by police contradicts what we are seeing on the ground here in Cheshire, with referrals for HBA cases from the county actually increasing by 400 percent since our partnership with Cheshire PCC began. HBA remains a local issue that happens here and can affect anyone.

“We believe that the decrease may be indicative of challenges such as fear or reluctance to report HBA offences to police out of fear for reprisal or consequences; the fear of not being believed or the issues not being understood, or the high risk of harm that is characteristic of HBA and harmful practices not being recognised.

“While there have been considerable improvements, the latest data suggests that there is still a lack of understanding and education around HBA and harmful practices that are impacting identification, response and reporting by the police and other statutory services.

“Through our partnership with Cheshire PCC we have been able to help and work alongside police and other professionals to better identify cases of HBA and respond appropriately, which has been reflected in the number of referrals into our services, but there is still much work to be done.

“Fear and reluctance to report HBA offences needs to be addressed by well-funded community engagement led by specialist organisations in this field, to break down those barriers.

“Further training and education are also needed to help police and other professionals better identify, respond to and record HBA offences.  The disparity in police data and what specialist services are seeing also raises a question mark over if current recording systems are fit for purpose.

“Despite the decrease in reports revealed in today’s data, we know that what is reported and even what we see on the frontline is only the tip of the iceberg. We are fortunate to work in partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire and welcome his commitment to improving responses locally, as well as contributing to our mission to end HBA and harmful practices for good.”

The latest data also revealed a decrease in reports of HBA incidents in Cheshire, which refer to incidents reported to the police that following investigation do not amount to an offence, according to the National Crime Recording Standard.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Dan Price, said: “Increasing the understanding and awareness of HBA and harmful practices, not only in communities, but in educational settings, the health care sector and the police, can help to prevent crimes from occurring and help survivors and those at risk.

“It is important to fund services like this, because even if we are able to help just one person as a result of this partnership, it’s been worthwhile.”

Although HBA offences reported were down overall nationally the number of FGM offences increased slightly to 111 this year (vs 86 in 2022/23), as were forced marriage offences, which increased to 201 this year (vs 173 in 2022/23).