Society is undergoing a revolution in attitudes towards sexism, misogyny, and gender-based violence, and violence against women and girls (VAWG) is now recognised as a national priority, with the government making a public commitment to halve VAWG over the next 10 years.

Those tasked with tackling VAWG joined the 43rd Cumberland Lodge Police Conference to take a step back and consider the road ahead. Senior police officers, practitioners, academics, technologists and representatives from non-profit and private sector organisations, gathered, heard expert testimony and engaged in focused conversations around how gender-based violence impacts not only women and girls, but our wider society and democracy.

This report is an interpretation of those conversations. It aims to capture the key content and spirit of those discussions and bring them to a wider audience, encouraging others to reflect and question what policing and wider society should do to tackle VAWG now, and in the future.