Urgent action must be taken to curb male violence against women and girls. That is the decisive call by St Albans Lib Dems, who are spearheading a call for action from the government and police leaders.

In a motion set to be debated at tonight's full council meeting, they are calling on council leader Cllr Chris White to write to the Home Secretary and Boris Johnson to demand a royal commission into male violence against women.

Councillors also want misogyny to become a hate crime and for increased investment into victims services.

The motion is proposed by Cllr Will Tucker, and says action is needed to “urgently address problems in the criminal justice system that utterly fails women, tackle the culture in which misogyny and discrimination are permitted to fester, and end violence against women and girls”.

It highlights the current backlog of rape and domestic abuse cases in the courts, and calls for funding to be put in place to ensure future cases are dealt with promptly by the criminal justice system, speeding up the process so victims see justice and criminals are rehabilitated.

The motion comes in the wake of a serving Met Police officer being charged for an alleged rape in a St Albans hotel, and calls for the Herts Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd and Chief Constable Charlie Hall to ask what steps are being taken to review the safeguarding and vetting procedures and misconduct processes in the county force.

Cllr Jacqui Taylor, who seconded the motion said: “Male violence against women is now an urgent matter that must be treated with the utmost seriousness.

"It’s shocking that following the tragic events of this year that no real action has been taken to tackle the problem of women and girls feeling unsafe, both on the streets and in their homes.”

Cllr White added: “Women are being let down by a system that has failed them over and over again – it’s time for the government to act now and act decisively.

“While it’s sad this motion has to be tabled at all and that I have to write these letters, I do hope this will spur the government to kick-start the fundamental change needed to tackle this endemic problem.”