‘Being a survivor of domestic abuse helps me save others from the same fate’- brave cop speaks up

When PC Saara Nawaz was called to a domestic abuse incident in 2023, she found herself sitting on the pavement with the survivor. “The woman had reported being strangled by her partner,” says Saara, a police officer in her 30s from Mansfield , Notts. “We arrested the suspect, but she ran away from us. I managed to speak to her and said, ‘we’re here for you, we can support you’ – but she kept saying, ‘there is nothing you can do for me’. “I explained I was a domestic abuse survivor and I’d been through something similar. I told her if I knew then what I knew now – the support that's available – I would have left him a lot earlier. Eventually the woman gave me a full statement, something she had never done before.” Saara, a former policy officer and youth worker, joined the police after surviving domestic abuse by a former partner. She is speaking out as the annual Domestic Homicide Report, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), says 347 deaths were recorded over the last 12 months – with the charity Refuge warning of “epidemic levels”. This week, Jess Phillips , the minister charged with tackling Violence and Girls resigned from Keir Starmer ’s government, decrying the pace of change. PC Saara says that like thousands of women every year she never reported her perpetrator’s crimes so he was never charged. But the fear and sense of injustice she carried, prompted her to pursue a career where she could support other survivors and help prosecute abusers. After years on the frontline as a response officer, Saara now works as a neighbourhood officer at Nottinghamshire Police . The job allows her more time to support people through partnership work with the NHS , social services and specialist charities. “When I was going through it myself, I felt I didn't have anyone to turn to,” she says. “I didn’t tell anyone. I felt either scared or feared repercussions. Now I want to be the person who I needed then. “You still get people saying, ‘why can't you just up and leave?’ If you've never been in that situation, it's very, very difficult to just up and leave. I felt trapped. Although I had a very supportive family, I kept my abuse hidden from them. It was almost as if I was protecting him, over myself. “I remember thinking, ‘what if he gets in trouble?’ He's going to get more angry with me’. “All these things go around in your head. But silence only protects the abuser. This is why we need to educate ourselves and others.” At the beginning of their relationship, Saara's partner was “caring, funny and thoughtful”. But he became moody, and then physically abusive. She says: “The first time was when he pushed me when I was cooking. He was very apologetic and I convinced myself it wouldn’t happen again. “It got worse, he strangled me – then blamed me. If he had a bad day, he'd take it out on me.” Her ex-partner would smash up Saara's home and drove erratically to frighten and control her. “I went through every stage of abuse – physical, emotional and coercive-control”, says Saara. “There were days when he was calm and I clung onto those days but I was walking on eggshells. He convinced me, ‘Oh it's not that bad, I don't do it everyday’.” Even when a GP spotted bruises on her arms, Saara was too scared to speak up. “I thought if I protect him, I’m protecting myself,” she says. “But that couldn’t be further from the truth, because I was allowing him to continue harming me and it became worse. He knew there were no consequences.” Eventually Saara did open up to another GP. “The doctor told me, ‘even once is too many.’ That stayed with me,” she says. Soon after, Saara managed to break free. “The final straw came when he started driving extremely fast, swerving it from left to right,” she says. “I thought we're going to die. This time, I knew I was done. I had no intention of ever going back to him. I told my family everything and they were very supportive.” Approximately 3.8 million people aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse in Britain over the last year, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. As she continues to tackle abusers on the frontlines of violence against women and girls, Saara is hoping her story will help others to come forward and make the brave step to report violence. “Breaking the silence is the first step,” the police officer says. “Leaving isn’t a weakness, it is the bravest step a person will take. A person’s story doesn't end with abuse. It begins with reaching out. Help is out there. Nobody is alone. I feel happy and safe and if sharing my story helps even one person take that first step, then it’s worth it.” *Call The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night, for confidential, non-judgemental information and support. Or if in immediate danger call 999.