DURING one week in July, Devon and Cornwall Police recorded 468 crimes of domestic abuse. And that, of course, is only the incidents that were reported; the true figure is likely to be many times higher.

In addition to that will be the numerous reports of stalking and harassment, not to mention all the non-contact offences.

The overwhelming majority of these offences will have been committed by men against women and girls.

It’s an enormous issue facing our society, called an “epidemic” by the government and reiterated by Devon and Cornwall’s chief constable last week at the part-launch of a new Male Ally Network in Cornwall which is, we hope, part of the answer. It is the latest attempt to help all men and boys who so urgently need to talk to each other more about what it means to be a male ally.

Network members and champions will be able to access training to develop the confidence and skills to challenge behaviours that women don’t like or want. We haven’t got all the answers, and these are early days, but there is a very firm commitment to learning how to have more of those conversations that matter, amplifying positive behaviour and actively calling out behaviour that perpetuates the disrespect that leads to violence towards women and girls.

At the launch event we heard speeches which moved some of us to tears. For me, one of the most poignant moments came when members of the audience were asked to stand up if they knew someone who had been the victim of male violence against women and girls.

As a list of crimes was read out, from stalking and rape to domestic abuse and murder, almost all the 160 people in the room ended up on their feet.

Around half of those who attended were men. All the men who spoke were, in different ways, saying the same thing; we don’t want this to keep happening in our name. There were lots of different types of men in the room – some were super muscly rugby players, others, like me, wore glasses and a formal shirt – but together we had a shared belief that being a man should never mean abusing a girl or killing a woman.

I think one of the most important things we need to do is find ways to help men and boys to have more empathy, especially those who have grown up in situations where they’ve had less than their fair share of love.

We all crave connection and I really hope that through providing more opportunities for face-to face conversations this project might be able to help some men improve their levels of empathy which, in turn, might help them overcome porn addiction, put social-media-influencer content into perspective, and make them less likely to act on any harmful fantasies.

People interested in becoming an ally can sign up and find out more at: devonandcornwall-pcc.gov.uk/disrupt-vawg/man.

Ben Woolvin

Head of Communications and Public Affairs

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner