In a bid to alleviate workplace stress and enhance awareness of domestic abuse dynamics, police forces across the UK are turning to innovative pet-focused strategies. Warwickshire Police have introduced wellbeing and trauma support dogs to help staff manage stress, particularly after major incidents. These four-legged companions, part of the Oscar Kilo 9 (OK9) network, visit police call handlers and response officers, providing much-needed emotional relief. "You've got a lot of negative in here, haven't you? Everything is just quite negative, and then you've got beautiful Freya who comes in and brings you back down to Earth," said call handler Becky Richardson.

The initiative is not only about stress relief but also serves as a tool for mental health support. PC Danny Boxx, a mental health triage officer, explained how his dog Bear helps break up the intensity of working with the child abuse investigation team. "He's my pet, I take him home every night, aren't I lucky?" Boxx shared. With 150 OK9-accredited dogs available nationwide, these animals are becoming an integral part of police support systems.

Meanwhile, a report by the Naturewatch Foundation has uncovered a troubling gap in police training regarding the use of pets in coercive control cases. The report found that only 60% of police forces in England and Wales educate officers on how domestic abusers may manipulate pets to exert control over victims. Mark Randell, a former senior detective and campaigns manager at Naturewatch, emphasized the importance of recognizing the link between animal and human abuse. "As a police officer, you’re more likely to turn up at a household with an animal than not," he noted.

Survivors of domestic abuse often form deep emotional bonds with their pets, making them vulnerable to manipulation by abusers. Samantha Billingham, from the Survivors of Domestic Abuse centre, highlighted the lack of awareness among professionals about the role of pets in coercive control. "A lot of people are staying in that situation because of their pets," she said, recounting her own harrowing experience of pet-related abuse.

The findings have been presented to Scotland Yard, advocating for mandatory training for all frontline officers and increased collaboration between domestic abuse professionals and animal welfare experts.