Durham Constabulary officers have been working throughout Christmas, protecting vulnerable people and supporting victims of abuse.

The Darlington Safeguarding Team are seeing their hard work pay off in protecting victims of domestic violence. A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary visited the Darlington team at the custody suite, to see the work being carried out this festive season.

During the busy visit one man was charged with 17 offences including ten counts of rape and indecent assault, and seven violent assaults on three different women over several years.

The Northern Echo: A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary visited the Darlington team at the custody suite, to see the

The charges brought were because of several months of investigative work by specialist officers, Investigative Officer Heidi Weir and PC Amie Thornton from Darlington Safeguarding Team. After a woman contacted Durham Constabulary earlier this year to report that she had suffered domestic violence and multiple rapes at the hands of her former partner more than 20 years ago.

The officers were able to build trust with the woman who felt she was then able to disclose the full extent of abuse she suffered. Because of her testimony, officers were able to identify two more victims who also agreed to give evidence.

The woman said: “Thank you for everything.

“This has been a long time coming.”

IO Weir joined safeguarding in 2014 and is an integral part of Team Two in Darlington’s safeguarding department. She has secured around 300 years of prison sentences for perpetrators of sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and child abuse in the last five years.

She said: “We deal with some of the most vulnerable people in society, who have been subjected to the most abhorrent crimes.

“The effect these crimes have on people is extensive and can be heart breaking. Unless you are a victim yourself, you will never truly understand the full impact these offences can have.

“As a result of what they have experienced, our victims need a lot of support. And that is exactly what we, as safeguarding officers, are here for - to provide that support and allow them to feel comfortable enough to tell us some of the most intimate and private details of their lives.

“For me, the hardest cases are people who have been abused as children but didn’t come forward at the time. It can be really difficult to see how the abuse has affected them, and these cases impact me the most.”

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One recent case that stands out for the team involves a teenage girl who was abused by a family member over several years when she was little and was eventually able to find the courage to disclose what had happened to a social worker.

IO Weir and PC Thornton then kept in touch with the girl and built up a rapport over the course of the year. Together they have supported her, and she then agreed to take part in a video recorded interview.

Her testimony resulted in the arrest of a man in his sixties on suspicion of sexual assault on a child under 13. He has since been released on bail while further enquiries are carried out.

When Detective Sergeant and supervisor John Tyers heard of the arrest following the work carried out by IO Weir and PC Thornton, he said: “You cannot underestimate what you have done for that child.

“You have built up that trust over several months to enable her to have the courage to come on board and give an interview.

“That is what safeguarding is all about – fighting for the victim, giving them a voice, and empowering them to get the justice they deserve.”

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The Darlington Safeguarding Team are working throughout the festive and new year period, protecting children, and supporting victims of sexual and domestic abuse.

If you need them, contact us on 101, or dial 999 if you are in immediate danger.

If you don’t want to speak to the police, there are other helplines available: The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is available 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247.

The local service, Harbour, is also available 24 hours a day on 03000 20 25 25. The above services support both men and women.