Bristol police officer in Queen Camilla’s domestic violence movie

A police officer featured in the Queen’s new documentary on domestic violence says it took him several years to come to terms with what happened to him.

Queen Camilla has vowed to “eradicate” domestic violence in her new ITV show, Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors.

Sharon Baker, from Avon and Somerset Police, describes her experience as a victim on the programme.

Ms Baker said: “I now look back and understand what happened.”

The Queen was followed for a year for the ITV1 and ITVX documentary, which examined her work, including private meetings with victims of domestic violence and a visit to an asylum centre.

“Coercive and controlling behavior is rife with manipulation and is quite invisible,” Ms Baker said.

“It isolates you from your friends and family and you don’t see it in the beginning and it’s only when you look back that I realize what I went through.

“I shared this internally in a video My colleagues and I spoke quite emotionally.

“I was truly shocked when more than 130 of my colleagues said they were also victims.”

He said that when he met the Queen at a special screening of the documentary, he could tell “how sincere she was about eliminating domestic violence”.

“It’s about raising awareness and having conversations with families (and) workplaces so people know what to look out for and understand what to do if 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 gets in touch,” Ms Baker added.

Ms Baker said she had an “epiphany” while reading about other women’s experiences of abusive relationships online.

“I was reading a blog online and just hearing other people’s descriptions of abusive relationships I thought ‘oh, he’s doing that’.”

But he said it took him months to accept his situation.

“I spent so much time belittling and normalizing what he did that I didn’t recognize it in myself,” she said.

“I was scared and thought: ‘What’s next? I should try to leave here’.”

She said many women find it incredibly difficult to escape abusive relationships.

“They take away your confidence, they take away your network, they take away your enlightenment.

“You start to question your own decisions, your own choices. So how easy is it to leave?”

Ms Baker worked with other officers at Avon and Somerset Police to establish the Domestic Violence commitment to change culture, policies and procedures.

The force was the first to make such a commitment for its personnel. includes:

• Direct referral to psychological support without speaking to a manager
• Survivors meet for emotional and practical support
• Special free emergency accommodation for victims.

Ms Baker said she encouraged women experiencing domestic violence to report it. 2015 Controlling or Coercive Behavior Act It enables the police to take action.

“My message to anyone who is a victim of domestic violence is that there is an army of police officers who know the struggle firsthand and will believe you and help you.”

The 90-minute program also features interviews with survivors, relatives of loved ones and those working to end domestic violence, including former prime minister Theresa May, safeguarding secretary Jess Phillips and Cherie Blair.

Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors Available to watch on ITVX.