21st February 2025
The pilot, known as “Raneem’s Law” was first announced in September 2024, and is named in honour of Raneem Oudeh and her mother, Khaola Saleem, who were tragically murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in 2018. This initiative will see domestic abuse specialists embedded in 999 control rooms, which aim to prioritise calls for help and ensure that victims are quickly connected to essential support services.
Domestic Abuse specialists will join the control rooms for the West Midlands, Northumbria, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Humberside forces to improve the police response to victims of domestic abuse. The government plans to work closely with these first five forces to gain insight and understanding into the outcomes of this initiative, which will inform a national roll-out across all 43 forces, alongside new statutory guidance for Raneem’s Law. Furthermore, £2.2m has been made available to fund the first stages of Raneem’s Law over the next financial year.
Delivering on their manifesto commitment, Raneem’s Law has been launched across the five forces, and the independent domestic abuse specialists come from women’s aid charities. Experts embedded in control rooms will advise on:
- Providing advice to officers responding to incidents on the ground
- Reviewing incoming domestic abuse cases and their risk assessments
- Listening in to live calls and providing feedback to call handlers on victim engagement
- Facilitating training sessions on domestic abuse for force control room staff
- Ensuring victims are referred to specialist support services
- Using expertise and understanding to manually check over the decisions made by 999 call handlers and identifying any missed opportunities to safeguard victims
- Supporting the use of innovative technology such as responding to victims via videocall
Nour Norris, lead campaigner, a member of our SAP, and the aunt and sister of Raneem and Khaola, said:
“Raneem called for help, and today, the system finally answered.”
“I can’t express enough how deeply emotional and significant this moment is. After six relentless years of campaigning for justice, I am returning to the force that failed my sister, Khaola, and my niece, Raneem. West Midlands Police had the chance to save them. Raneem called 999, desperate for help, but the system did not listen. It did not act. And because of that failure, we lost them.”
“This moment proves that change only happens when we refuse to accept failure. We cannot wait for another tragedy. We must build the safeguards that should have been there all along. And while nothing will bring Khaola and Raneem back, their voices, struggles, and sacrifices have led to a law that will save lives. Their legacy will live forever.”
While the government’s efforts primarily focus on improving police responses to domestic abuse, it is hoped that these embedded specialists will also be trained to identify and address Honour Based Abuse alongside other forms of abuse. Raneem’s case shows that there is a critical need to recognise Honour Based Abuse, as it is often overlooked. Nour Norris is one of Karma Nirvana’s Survivor Ambassador Panel (SAP) members, has been a leading advocate for ensuring that the new measures account for all types of abuse, including HBA. Nour spoke at our Day of Memory in 2021, where she shared her story and advocated for better recognition of Honour Based Abuse. You can read more about the event here.
This moment proves that change only happens when we refuse to accept failure. We cannot wait for another tragedy. We must build the safeguards that should have been there all along. And while nothing will bring Khaola and Raneem back, their voices, struggles, and sacrifices have led to a law that will save lives. Their legacy will live forever.
Karma Nirvana is pleased to see these new initiatives in place and is hopeful that they will bring about significant improvements in protecting victims of all forms of abuse, including Honour Based Abuse. This measure is part of the government’s decade-long mission to halve violence against women and girls, with a focus on prevention, education, and stronger police responses.
For more information about the initiative, visit the government’s website.