I am deeply saddened at the tragic death of 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter, who was fatally stabbed in Bradford on Saturday as she pushed her baby in a pram. The arrest of Mr. Habibur Masum, who had previously been charged with assaulting and threatening Ms. Akter and was out on bail, raises serious concerns. This loss of life could have been prevented if Mr. Masum had been detained pending his trial.

There may be a potential systemic issue in the handling of domestic abuse cases involving minority ethnic women by police forces nationwide

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) must now conduct an urgent investigation into whether Mr. Masum violated his bail conditions before the attack and to scrutinise the actions taken by the West Yorkshire Police and Greater Manchester Police. There may be a potential systemic issue in the handling of domestic abuse cases involving minority ethnic women by police forces nationwide, which could be contributing to the elevated rates of domestic homicide among Black and Asian women. This is supported by evidence from the Muslim Women’s Network Helpline where some domestic abuse victims have reported delays and reluctance by police in apprehending perpetrators, often former partners, when they breach bail conditions. Previous research conducted by the Muslim Women's Network UK conducted in 2019, titled "Muslim Women’s Experience of the Criminal Justice System," also highlighted the failure of the police and crown prosecution service to adequately address the needs of minority women.

Women from minority groups make up 22% of female domestic homicide rates even though minority communities make up 18% of the population