WE THINK Welsh Women’s Aid is quite right to say Caroline Parry was let down by procedures at Gwent Police.

In our view there is no doubt that she was, and so we welcome the fact that those procedures have now been tightened up and improved.

The 49-year-old mother of two was murdered last year by her estranged husband, who shot her in the back in a Newport street.

From the outset let us say that the only person to blame for Mrs Parry’s death was Christopher Parry.

And it is impossible to know whether the outcome of this tragic case would have been any different if Gwent Police had handled some aspects of the case differently.

But the report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which investigated the force’s handling of the case, raises concerns on several levels.

The IPCC report makes it clear that Gwent Police could have responded differently to Caroline Parry’s complaints about her estranged husband, especially in light of the fact that he held a firearms licence.

It is also worrying that this is not the first time Gwent Police’s handling of domestic abuse cases has been a cause of concern.

People trying to leave abusive relationships need to have confidence that when they raise concerns the complaint is treated with the utmost seriousness and as a matter of urgency and that those victims have support from the word go.