In a 2023 BBC Newsnight interview, Mel B was asked whether she herself would call police to report domestic abuse. She said she would not, explaining: “I wouldn’t, because I wouldn’t know if they would take it seriously.” She went further, saying she did not know whether she could trust police to take her allegations seriously and arguing that officers needed better education about the signs of domestic abuse.
She described gradually becoming separated from family and reaching a point where, in her mind, there was “no way out.” Belafonte has repeatedly denied her allegations of abuse.
While someone is living with abuse or has been attacked, the question may be: What will happen to me if I call? What happens when the police leave? Will he know I called? Will this make me less safe?