Nine women paid compensation over police abuse claims
BBCNine women have been paid compensation following claims a police force failed to investigate serving and former officers for domestic abuse and sexual violence.
The women say they were not taken seriously when they reported alleged cases of rape, assault and coercive control by male officers employed by Devon and Cornwall Police.
One woman described the force as a "big boys' club" which had "protected" the man who she claims assaulted her.
The force has apologised to the women and agreed an out-of-court settlement to pay compensation without admitting legal liability.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, help and support is available at BBC Action Line.
Freya (not her real name) claimed her former husband, a police officer, pushed her in front of a car when she was five months pregnant.
She described suffering years of physical and psychological abuse from him. On one occasion when he allegedly threatened her with a knife, police attended but "they advised him to take a walk and calm down" and did not even speak to her, she said.
She alleged that he raped her after filing for divorce but told her the police would not listen.
"He kept telling me: 'Who are they going to believe? Me or you? Because I'm an officer,'" she said.
After leaving her husband, Freya said she spoke to two senior officers. She said one told her they would look after her husband and another said they could not have her bringing the police force into disrepute.
She said she felt like she was "up against the mafia" when she reported her husband.
Some of the women involved in the claim had worked for the force themselves.
Phoebe (not her real name) claimed she was attacked by her now ex-partner after they had both left the force.
When she called the police, she said the officer who attended did not believe what she was saying.
"He called me pathetic. He pointed his finger at me and said I was the one who was at fault," she said.
She said she rang the police for a crime number for the incident but was told there was no assault despite the fact she was left "black and blue".
"It still remains a big boys' club, and this was the problem. My partner was part of that boys' club, so they decided they had to protect him," she said.
All the women's claims about their alleged treatment when reporting abuse were put to Devon and Cornwall Police but the force has declined to comment further.
Some of the accused officers are still working for the police and some have been promoted, according to the Centre for Women's Justice (CWJ), which brought the case against the force.
In February 2024, the CWJ wrote to Devon and Cornwall Police stating its intention to take legal action against the Office of the Chief Constable on behalf of a number of women for its "failure to investigate reports of and prevent sexual and domestic abuse".
In March 2026, the nine women involved met the chief constable and senior force members to discuss their experiences. The chief constable apologised to all the women for the conduct of the force in its investigation of their reports.
"I felt the apology was sincere. The chief constable seemed moved and I believed him," one of the women said.
The force said, while there had been no admission of legal liability, it was agreed a sum of money would be paid to the women affected to bring matters to a conclusion without the need for court proceedings.
It added: "We are committed to tackling any further allegations of police perpetrated domestic abuse and continued to invest in measures to protect all in our communities, particularly women and girls, from violence and abuse."
'Systemic failing'
The Devon and Cornwall legal claim followed a police super-complaint to the Independent Office For Police Conduct, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services and the College of Policing by the CWJ and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in 2020.
They argued it was harmful to the public interest that police forces were failing in their handling of reports of police perpetrated abuse.
More than 200 women came forward to say they had suffered the same issues and the CWJ found a high proportion came from Devon and Cornwall.
It then launched its legal claim against Devon and Cornwall Police, alleging the force's system to investigate police perpetrated domestic abuse was so flawed it breached the women's human rights.
Debaleena Dasgupta, solicitor for the CWJ, said it was a great result but litigation should not have been necessary.
"Reporting domestic abuse is already difficult, and even more so when the perpetrator is a police officer and there is no option but to report them to their own employer.
"For the women to encounter indifference, delay, and basic investigative failures was unacceptable.
"The entire system tackling police perpetrated domestic abuse needs to be overhauled, not just in Devon and Cornwall."
The charity has called for an independent central reporting system so people are not investigated by their colleagues and their friends.