Queen Camilla visited Avon and Somerset Police headquarters in Portishead, Bristol, on Thursday to observe how officers respond to domestic violence incidents.
During her tour of the emergency call centre, she donned headphones to listen to a pre-recorded 999 conversation involving a woman reporting an ex-partner’s presence at her property.
Call handler Jasmine Cox guided the Queen through the process, explaining how staff prioritise caller safety during distressing situations.
“It’s just all about keeping them safe in that situation. It can be extremely stressful and upsetting. It’s about keeping them calm and speaking to them,” Miss Cox said.
Queen Camilla listened in to an actual 999 call as she visited Avon and Somerset Police headquarters
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Camilla responded: “So just keep talking.”
The force handles approximately 34,000 domestic abuse calls annually, a figure the Queen described as “horrifying” and “far too many”.
She praised the call handlers for their dedication, remarking: “Sometimes people must be very frightened, so it must be difficult getting information out of them.”
Miss Cox shared how she recently received a thank-you note from a caller she assisted who had been unable to speak her address aloud.
“My goodness. They’re taking these calls all the time aren’t they? You’re doing a brilliant job,” Camilla told her.
The Queen also spent time with a support network established by Superintendent Sharon Baker, herself a domestic abuse survivor, which assists police personnel experiencing similar situations.
After hearing their accounts of abuse and coercive control, Camilla called the survivors “very brave” and told them: “You’re getting up and talking about it. That makes a difference. The more people who do that, the more people will listen.”
She encouraged other constabularies nationwide to replicate the initiative, describing it as “brilliant”.
Queen Camilla met with the staff who handle 34,000 domestic abuse calls annually
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“I have never met a group like this who is actually getting on doing something – I just hope a lot of other police stations will follow your example. You’ve got to capture a lot of the others,” she added.
The visit highlighted several pioneering programmes developed by the force, including Project Bright Light, which invites academic researchers to scrutinise how domestic abuse cases are handled.
This builds upon Project Bluestone, a 2021 pilot scheme where academics examined the force’s approach to rape and serious sexual offences, producing recommendations to boost charge rates and improve victim support.
The Bluestone framework was subsequently adopted by police forces across England and Wales through the Home Office-funded Operation Soteria.
Camilla has championed awareness of domestic and sexual violence for many years, and it was recently disclosed that she fought off an attacker on a train during her teenage years.
The Queen’s engagement took place against the backdrop of the continuing scandal engulfing the King’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as millions of US documents connected to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein continue to yield fresh revelations.
New allegations from the files suggest a second woman was dispatched to Britain by Epstein for a sexual encounter with the then-duke, and that Andrew and Epstein propositioned an exotic dancer for a threesome at the financier’s Florida residence.
Thames Valley Police confirmed on Wednesday that it has consulted specialist Crown Prosecution Service prosecutors regarding claims that Andrew passed confidential reports from his trade envoy role to Epstein, stating the investigation “is making progress as quickly as possible”.
Queen Camilla highlighted several pioneering programmes developed by the force
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On Monday, Buckingham Palace indicated it would “stand ready to support” any police inquiry if approached.
A Palace spokesman added that the King had expressed his “profound concern” at allegations relating to Andrew’s conduct, and that the monarch and Queen’s “thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse”.
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