Petition update · UPDATE FROM ZOE DRONFIELD – WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED

Petition updateHigh Risk Serial Domestic Abusers & Stalkers Must Be Managed via MAPPA Like Sex OffendersUPDATE FROM ZOE DRONFIELD – WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED

Laura RichardsUnited Kingdom

Mar 24, 2026

When I started campaigning in 2014, I was told things would change.

Over a decade later, the headline statistic remains the same:
two women a week are still being killed by a partner or ex-partner in the UK.

But the truth is even more concerning.

These figures are widely understood to be an underestimate.
They do not fully account for hidden domestic abuse cases or domestic abuse-related suicides — which are now known to exceed the number of murders.

So whilst the statistic appears unchanged, the reality is:
The scale of harm is greater than we are being told.

That is not progress.
That is systemic failure.

We have seen strategies, pledges and reviews — including the recent Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy.

But the reality is this:
It still does not go far enough in addressing perpetrators — particularly high-risk and serial domestic abusers and stalkers.

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THIS PETITION HAS ALWAYS BEEN CLEAR

We are calling for one thing:

High-risk and serial domestic abusers and stalkers to be placed on national monitoring systems (MAPPS / VISOR) and proactively managed — as a matter of law, not discretion.

Because these perpetrators:
- Do not stop
- Escalate over time
- Move between victims undetected

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VOLUNTARY SYSTEMS ARE FAILING

We have already tried guidance.

We have already been told perpetrators “may” be referred into MAPPA.

But in practice:
- Cases are not consistently referred
- Patterns of abuse are not being joined up
- Decisions remain personality-driven and postcode-dependent

This is not a system.
This is inconsistency — and it is costing lives.

We now need statutory, mandatory change.

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WHERE WE ARE NOW

Many of you will know my story publicly.

But I have not previously shared this on this petition.

I am currently involved in ongoing legal proceedings connected to my case.

What I experienced should never have happened.
And what I am experiencing now should not be happening either.

Instead of systems working with victims to drive learning and change — too often, they are still fighting us.

I am not unique. I am not alone.

What I am experiencing reflects what many victims continue to face:
- Delays
- Fragmented responses
- A failure to recognise high-risk and serial perpetration

This is not just about my case.
It is about a system that is still not built to manage high-risk and serial domestic abusers and stalkers effectively.

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LEARNING FROM CHANGE — BUT DEMANDING CONSISTENCY

Tony Hudgell was subjected to horrific abuse as a baby, resulting in both of his legs being amputated.

His story shocked the nation — and rightly so.

Through his family’s campaigning, the law has now changed — including stronger sentencing and movement towards a child protection register.

This proves something critical:
When the system recognises the severity of harm and risk, it is willing to act.

But it also raises a serious and uncomfortable question:
Why does it take extreme harm for action to be taken?
And why are high-risk and serial domestic abusers and stalkers still not proactively tracked?

We now have a system where:
- A single catastrophic incident can trigger national change
- But repeated patterns of abuse often do not

That inconsistency is where lives are being lost.

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RIGHT DATA, RIGHT TIME — AND WHY THE SYSTEM IS STILL FAILING

VISOR has evolved into the MAPPS database.

This was a campaign win — and it matters.

But:
We now have the system — what we don’t have is the mandate to use it properly.

Police still do not have the right information at the right time.

This is something I see as both a survivor and a data professional.

Right data, right time.

Without it, systems fail.

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WHAT POLICE ARE TELLING US

I recently delivered a session for International Women’s Day with a police force.

Officers told me:
- Systems are fragmented
- Intelligence is not joined up
- Critical information is missed

Some officers are leaving because they cannot do their jobs properly.

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THIS IS NOT A FAILURE OF INDIVIDUAL OFFICERS

There are good police officers.

But we are not giving them the tools they need.

We are trying to manage high-risk and serial perpetrators with systems that cannot keep up.

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THIS GOVERNMENT RECOGNISED THE ISSUE — BUT HAS NOT DELIVERED

We are still seeing:
- Guidance over enforcement
- Discretion over accountability
- Inconsistency across regions

That is not enough.

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WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR

1. Statutory inclusion of high-risk and serial perpetrators in MAPPA/MAPPS
2. A national mandatory framework
3. Better use of data to identify patterns

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WHAT YOU CAN DO

1. Sign and share the petition

2. Write to your MP:
https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP

Subject: High-Risk and Serial Domestic Abusers

Dear [MP Name],

I am writing to raise concerns about the lack of statutory management of high-risk and serial domestic abusers and stalkers.

Despite existing systems, there is no mandatory framework.

I support:
- Statutory inclusion in MAPPA/MAPPS
- National framework
- Better data use

Yours sincerely,
[Name]

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Support the campaign:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-victims-of-serial-domestic-abusers