NZ: Domestic violence on the rise 

NZ: Domestic violence on the rise

Domestic violence on the rise
13 March 2004
DAVE COURTNEY

Domestic violence is on the rise across Canterbury with police unsure what has caused the jump.


In December last year Canterbury police dealt with 590 domestic violence callouts, compared with a monthly average of 450 for the rest of 2003.

Last year was a black year for domestic violence with a record 5800 cases recorded by police.

Superintendent Sandra Manderson, Canterbury police district commander, said that while Christmas stresses always caused an increase in domestic violence, December's leap was "out of odds" with previous years.

Annette Gillespie, of Christchurch Women's Refuge, said domestic violence was on an upward trend.

She said Christmas and the weeks following it always bought a surge in family violence because of financial stresses or family being together.

"Some women even hold on until the new year thinking `everything will be all right in the new year'.

"When it's not they call us."

Gillespie said a recent spate of domestic-related murders had put a public focus on domestic violence.

Manderson said there were several strategies in place to deal with victims of repeated violence.

In Christchurch 40 per cent of the violence was repeat.

Police would visit known problem families after an event to discuss what happened and put in place plans to stop violence happening again.

In the last three months Canterbury frontline police staff had received further training in family violence.

"Making the victim safe is the priority. Then we can focus on the offender," Manderson said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2845101a11,00.html

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