Police Officer’s Journey to Acknowledge and Leave Abusive Relationship Highlighted in Queen’s Documentary

An officer from the police force, appearing in Queen Camilla’s recent documentary on domestic abuse, has revealed that she spent several years before acknowledging her own experience. In the new ITV program, Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, Queen Camilla has pledged to “eradicate” domestic violence. Sharon Baker, an officer with Avon and Somerset Police, shares her personal account as a victim within the documentary. Ms Baker stated, “It’s only looking back now I realise what went through.” The ITV1 and ITVX documentary tracked the Queen’s activities for a year, showcasing her work, which encompassed private discussions with survivors of domestic violence and a visit to a refuge facility. Ms Baker remarked, “Coercive and controlling behaviour is full of manipulation and it’s pretty unseen.” She continued, “It isolates you from your friends and family and you don’t see it to begin with and it’s only looking back now I realise what I went through.” Ms Baker also shared, “I shared it internally in a video with my colleagues and I spoke quite emotionally. “I was really shocked when over 130 colleagues said they were victims too.” She recounted that upon meeting the Queen at a special screening of the documentary, she perceived “how authentic she is about obliterating domestic abuse.” Ms Baker emphasized, “It’s about raising awareness and having conversations with families [and] in workplaces, so people know what to look out for and understand what to do when they think someone is a victim or a perpetrator.” “Every time I speak out it resonates with someone, a member of the public gets in touch, a colleague does,” Ms Baker further stated. Ms Baker revealed that she experienced an “epiphany” while reading online accounts of other women’s experiences with abusive relationships. She explained, “I was reading an online blog and it was only hearing other people’s descriptions of abusive relationships that I thought ‘oh, he does that’.” Nevertheless, she mentioned that it took several months for her to come to terms with her own circumstances. “I spent so long minimising what he was doing and normalising it, that I couldn’t recognise it in myself,” she commented. She described feeling, “I felt scared, frightened thinking: ‘What next? I’ve got to try and leave’.” She noted that numerous women encounter extreme difficulty when attempting to exit abusive relationships. Ms Baker elaborated, “They take away your confidence, they take away your network, they gaslight you. “You’re left questioning your own decisions, your own choice. So how easy is it to leave?” Ms Baker has collaborated with fellow officers at Avon and Somerset Police to develop a Domestic Violence pledge aimed at transforming culture, policies, and procedures within the force. Avon and Somerset Police was the first force to implement such a commitment for its personnel, which encompasses: Ms Baker stated that she urges women enduring domestic abuse to report it, highlighting that the 2015 Controlling or Coercive Behaviour Act empowers police to intervene. She conveyed, “My message to anyone who’s a domestic abusive survivor is that there is an army of police officers who know the struggle first hand, who will believe you and help you.” The 90-minute broadcast additionally features interviews with survivors, family members who have lost loved ones, and individuals dedicated to combating domestic violence, such as former prime minister Theresa May, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, and Cherie Blair. Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors can be streamed on ITVX. For updates, follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.