DOMESTIC abuse specialists are to be embedded into police 999 control rooms in memory of a Solihull mum.
The pilot, known as Raneem’s Law, comes after Raneem Oudeh, 22, was murdered along with her mother Khaola Saleem at the hands of Raneem’s ex-partner Janbaz Tarin, in 2018.
It will be rolled out across five police forces – Bedfordshire, Humberside, Northumbria, Northamptonshire and West Midlands Police – as the law comes into effect, to improve the police response to those in need of help.
West Midlands Police said independent domestic abuse specialists from Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid and Coventry Haven Women’s Aid are set to work across the 999 control rooms, offering expert advice, specialist support and working to identify missed opportunities to properly safeguard victims.
The force says these domestic abuse specialists will advise officers responding to incidents on the ground, review incoming domestic abuse cases and their risk assessments, listening in to live calls and provide feedback to call handlers on victim engagement, provide training sessions on domestic abuse for force control room staff and check over the decisions made by call handlers and identify any missed opportunities to safeguard victims.
West Midlands Police have been working with Nour Norris, the aunt and sister of Raneem and Khaola.
She 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.
“Raneem deserved the help she needed, my sister, Khaola, who broke my heart because she was caught in all of this, deserved to live around her children.
“This is not just about saving lives; it is also about ensuring that victims who survive have the chance to truly live, free from fear and harm. They deserve safety, dignity, and a future.
“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.”
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips, who along with Nour came to see the call handlers at work.
Supt Jack Hadley, deputy head of Force Contact at West Midlands Police, said: “We have been working with Nour Norris for around 12 months now and we are continuing to make improvements to the way we help victims to ensure they are not put at further risk, especially when they make a call to us.
“Protecting vulnerable people and making sure that they are listened to is our top priority and by having experts in our control rooms right from the start we can ensure our victims are heard and get the specialist support they deserve.”
Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP, said: “We are determined to overhaul the police emergency response to domestic abuse, making sure that victims get the specialist support and protection they need. That must be Raneem and Khaola’s legacy.
“We need to change the future for others, where we couldn’t for Raneem, as part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.”
