A major rollout of new domestic abuse powers across Greater Manchester has been accompanied by claims of falling case numbers and improved outcomes. However, a review of official statements alongside academic research suggests that while the expansion of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) marks a significant operational shift, the evidence underpinning claims of their effectiveness remains limited and even contested.
Full rollout accompanied by strong claims
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) announced on 24 March 2026 that Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) are now in use across all districts following an 18-month pilot phase. The force stated that more than 870 orders had been secured and over 460 arrests made for breaches since the pilot began in November 2024.
The rollout, which began in Bury and was later expanded to Salford before reaching all remaining districts, is described as the “final phase” of implementation. According to GMP, DAPOs provide “more flexible and longer-term protection” than previous measures, enabling courts to impose both restrictions and positive requirements on individuals who are accused of abuse. The press release further states, “In the last 12 months, we’ve seen over 2000 fewer domestic abuse cases across Greater Manchester compared to the previous year… Our DAPOs play a huge role in this decrease”. This assertion, linking a reduction in recorded domestic abuse cases directly to the introduction of DAPOs, forms a central claim of the announcement.
What exactly are DAPOs?
DAPOs are civil orders (meaning no prior conviction is required) handed out by Magistrate Courts and are meant specifically to protect victims of domestic abuse; preventing the abuser from approaching or communicating with their victims, or from behaving in a way that causes harm or distress to them. They were introduced by the UK government as part of a broader reform of domestic abuse legislation, replacing earlier tools such as Domestic Violence Protection Notices (DVPNs) and Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs). Unlike their predecessors, DAPOs can include both prohibitive conditions and mandatory requirements and can be applied without a victim needing to initiate proceedings or attend court.
The policy rationale is that these orders allow earlier intervention, disrupt harmful behaviour, and provide stronger safeguards for victims. A dedicated DAPO court, established at Manchester Magistrates’ Court in May 2025, is cited as improving efficiency and enabling quicker access to protective measures.
The number of orders issued is not a measure of success
While the operational scope of DAPOs has expanded, existing research into comparable measures raises questions about how the effectiveness should be assessed.
The document entitled A Critical Reflection on DVPNs and DVPOs highlights that “there is relatively little research regarding their use and effectiveness”. This observation refers to the predecessor systems upon which DAPOs are based. Although DAPOs introduce additional features, they operate within a broadly similar framework of civil orders aimed at short-term protection. The same document notes that, “Measuring the success of DVPOs is fraught with difficulties” and further states, “counting the number of orders issued… does not provide a sound measure of ‘success”. These findings are directly relevant to the metrics cited in the GMP press release, which emphasises the number of orders secured and arrests made.
A central claim in the GMP announcement is the reported reduction of over 2,000 domestic abuse cases in the past year. However, academic research cautions against interpreting such figures as straightforward indicators of reduced offending. The same critical reflection document states, “Assessing effectiveness based on the number of police call-outs is misleading”. This is because recorded case numbers may be influenced by multiple factors, including:
- Changes in reporting behaviour
- Victim willingness to engage
- Recording practices within police forces.
The document also highlights that, “victims may be reluctant to report breaches”. This suggests that reductions in recorded incidents do not necessarily equate to similar reductions in actual harm or offending.
While DAPOs may indeed coincide with a reduction in recorded cases, the available research does not provide clear evidence that such orders are the only factor.
Without further research, it is difficult to isolate the impact of DAPOs from other variables, such as:
- Wider policing strategies
- Public awareness campaigns
- Changes in reporting behaviour
The critical reflection paper notes that assessing the long-term effectiveness of protective orders can be challenging and highlights examples where some couples were subject to multiple DVPOs over time. The authors suggest that this may indicate limitations in the ability of such orders, on their own, to prevent further incidents in every case.
Although DAPOs were introduced to replace and expand upon DVPOs, the longer-term impact they may have has not been extensively evaluated. While the available evidence suggests that protective orders can provide an important safeguarding and intervention tool, while also highlighting the difficulties involved in assessing their longer-term effectiveness. DAPOs are primarily intended to provide earlier intervention and enhanced safeguarding for victims and survivors, rather than to operate as a standalone mechanism for changing offender behaviour. They are therefore best considered as one component of a broader response to domestic abuse, alongside criminal justice processes, support services and other interventions.
DAPOs represent a step forward, but is it enough?
While questions remain about how the long-term effectiveness of protective orders should be assessed, senior officials have presented the rollout as a significant development in victim safeguarding. Detective Superintendent Jen Tattersall described the expansion as, “a major milestone in strengthening the safeguarding of victims and survivors”. Kate Green, Deputy Mayor for Safer and Stronger Communities, stated that the orders enable “earlier intervention” and “strong safeguarding”.
These statements reflect the policy intervention behind DAPOs, to provide earlier protective measures for victims and survivors and to form part of a broader response to domestic abuse. In that context, the orders can be understood as one component of a wider approach to safeguarding, support, and criminal justice intervention, rather than as a standalone mechanism for addressing every aspect of domestic abuse..
The contrast between official claims and academic findings highlights a broader issue in many areas of public policy: the gap between implementation and evidence. On one hand, DAPOs introduce new mechanisms intended to improve victim protection and support earlier intervention. A 2025 systematic review of UK-based domestic and sexual violence interventions and services also highlights the importance of considering the quality and consistency of the evidence when assessing what works in responding to domestic and sexual violence.[5] On the other hand, the existing evidence base for comparable protective-order interventions suggests that:
- Effectiveness is difficult to measure
- Common metrics may be unreliable
- Long-term impact may be difficult to establish.
This does not mean that DAPOs are ineffective, nor does it suggest that they are expected to produce sustained behavioural change on their own. Rather, it underlines the importance of distinguishing between the immediate safeguarding purpose of an order and broader questions about longer-term outcomes.
A lack of firm evidence does not negate the potential value of DAPOs. Instead, it suggests that their success should be considered in the context of what they are intended to achieve: earlier intervention and protection for victims and survivors, alongside wider safeguarding, support and criminal justice measures.
If you are affected by domestic violence, you can find help by contacting Refuge or The Pankhurst Trust, and specifically for male victims of domestic abuse there is the Men’s Advise Line.
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