For the third consecutive year, the Council of Europe Police Network met in Strasbourg. The 2025 conference titled "From Standards to Action: The Role of Law Enforcement in Preventing Femicides and Violence Against Women» brought together law enforcement officials and international experts to discuss femicides – the killing of women because of their gender – and the broader scope of gender-based violence. The conference explored the international and Council of Europe standards and ways of turning it into working methods and practical actions by law enforcement agencies, offering a platform to share best practices and develop effective prevention measures.

Over the course of two days, the discussions centred around key frameworks such as the Istanbul Convention, the European Court of Human Rights case law and GREVIO guidelines, which draw the attention to the importance of police risk assessments, victim-friendly measures, and multi-agency collaboration to prevent femicides. Emphasis was placed on the identification of high-risk factors to better understand signs and pathways leading to femicides. The conference highlighted successful initiatives like Spain’s VioGén 2 protocol, multi-agency cooperation in the Netherlands, and Austria’s emergency barring orders system, which has proven to be among effective preventative measures.

The event also addressed lessons learned across police services, stressing the need for improving police responses to domestic abuse-related deaths including through Domestic Femicide Reviews, and the role of femicide observatories. Law enforcement from Germany, Moldova, and Greece shared valuable experiences on their approaches to preventing femicides including developing special femicides committees and projects and though cooperation with civil society. Additionally, the conference touched on combating sexual harassment with regards to police force, focusing on best practices in France and the Netherlands. It provided participants with an overview of the Council of Europe cooperation projects, and it ended with addressing contemporary challenges such as technology-facilitated violence, with an emphasis on enhancing policies, support systems, and inter-agency cooperation.

The event fostered valuable exchanges, setting the stage for future collaboration and concrete actions.

For more information about the conference and ongoing projects in the field of police: link