Martyn - Head of Investigations

“It’s really rewarding to know we’re helping people break that pattern of abuse."

Martyn is our Head of Investigations for Domestic Abuse, Rape and Serious Sexual Offences. He talked to us about what his role involves and how we can make a difference.

Read his story to get an insight #BehindtheBadge:

"We all come into policing to make a difference, but when it comes to helping victims of domestic abuse it feels like you can make a significant and lasting difference to people’s lives.

"More often than not, domestic abuse is not a one-off incident, it’s a prolonged and sustained pattern of abuse.

"Often victims experience something like 50 incidents of abuse before they feel able to report it.

"Offenders are dangerous and manipulative, sometimes to such a degree that victims often don’t realise they are victims.

"A large proportion of the incidents response officers attend are actually domestic.

"So - as well as investigations - my team also trains frontline officers so they can carry out initial forensic enquiries on-scene when time is of the essence.

"It’s complex and challenging work.

"And I’ll tell you why it’s so rewarding: we invariably develop a connection with victims.

"It’s really rewarding to know we’re helping people break that pattern of abuse and we’re putting them on the first step to rebuilding their lives."