Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Alen officially launched Cumbria Gateway’s new men’s centre, ‘Gateway 4 Men’ in Carlisle on 19 July at 29 Lowther Street, Carlisle.
The new men’s centre will provide critical help to vulnerable men in Carlisle and the surrounding areas, with tailored services around the needs of local men through 1-on-1 sessions and support groups. The centre will provide extensive support to men over the age of 18 regardless of their circumstances, where they live, sexual orientation or background, and provide assistance on a range of topics including domestic abuse, social isolation and housing/benefit support.
The new initiative has been made possible through funding secured by the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner from the Ministry of Justice, for £19,796.
The Office for National Statistics show every year that one in three victims of domestic abuse are male. Yet according to Safelives data only 4.4% men are being supporting by local domestic services.
For every three victims of partner abuse, two will be female and one will be male, and 59% of men experiencing partner abuse did not perceive what was happening to them as domestic abuse. Men are three times less likely to tell anyone they are victims of domestic abuse (49% of men tell no one compared to 19% of women).
In the last 12 months (1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024), male victims made up 29% (1,294) of all victims of recorded Domestic Abuse crime in Cumbria.
David Allen, Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner comments: “It was very clear at the ‘Gateway 4 Men’ centre official launch, that specialist services are needed to encourage men to come forward and give them confidence to access the support they need.
“Research has shown the impact of crime and domestic abuse can be experienced differently for men due, in part, to cultural and societal expectations.
“Harmful stereotyping, combined with popular myths and misconceptions around male victims, can act as additional barriers when it comes to reporting and seeking help.
“The ‘Gateway 4 Men’ centre has been welcoming men from the local area since January and has already proved instrumental in helping to shape and develop the centre’s future direction. With feedback from the regular male users, the centre is evolving and continually driving to improve the service it provides.
“We need to understand why certain groups within our communities do not come forward to report crime so that we can provide the right support, challenge any barriers male victims face and understand more about the fact that men access services in different ways to women.
“Coming forward after experiencing abuse of any kind is difficult enough for anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, but to know dedicated help is out there specifically for men, is certainly a big step in the right direction.
“Providing designated support for men will hopefully encourage more male victims to come forwards and report. Help is out there; you do not have to suffer in silence.”
“As your Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner, my role is to be the voice of residents within Cumbria, in respect of the Police and Fire services – I am your voice. If any member of the public has a concern about crime in their area, or around the Constabulary or Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, please raise it with me at commissioner@cumbria-pcc.gov.uk or call 01768 217734.”
Talking about the opening of the new men’s centre ‘Gateway4Men’, Chief Executive Officer for Cumbria Gateway comments: “Men on their own, naturally tend to be more socially isolated than women, so providing a safe space for vulnerable men to socialise and meet new friends is vital. This is especially the case during the day.
“Not all men go to work during the day and the new men’s centre ‘Gateway 4 Men’, helps vulnerable male users to open up and talk freely about their needs and how they can best access support.”
Detective Inspector Mike Taylor, Cumbria Constabulary, said: “The men’s centre will hopefully lead to more men accessing the support they require.
“We are aware that some men may feel uncomfortable or be unwilling to report what has happened to them. My message to them is that any report they provide to police will be dealt with the upmost sensitivity and they will be taken seriously.
“We work closely with trusted partner agencies to ensure that any victim receives appropriate support, tailored to their individual circumstances.
"If you are a victim of any form of abuse, please report this to police so we can investigate.”
Support is available at:
Gateway 4 Men
Contact: info@cumbriagateway.co.uk
Call: 01228 212 091
29 Lowther Street, Carlisle, CA3 8EN
Victim Support
Local number 0300 30 30 157
Cumbria.Admin@victimsupport.org.uk
24hr Supportline 08 08 16 89 111
Bridgeway Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC)
0808 118 6432 (available 24/7)
info@thebridgeway.org.uk
The Mankind Initiative
ManKind Initiative - Supporting Male Victims of Domestic Abuse
Freephone 0808 800 1170 (the call will not show on your bill)
If you wish to report to police you can do so online at Report a crime | Cumbria Police. You can also phone on 101. Always phone 999 in an emergency or if a crime is in progress.