Ten Domestic Violence Centres Established at Police Stations

Ten domestic violence centres, designed to assist with conflict resolution, have been established at police stations islandwide.

This was disclosed by Police Commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson, who indicated that personnel at the centres are adept at dealing with cases of domestic violence committed against males and females, based on statistics.

Addressing a national security seminar, hosted by the Office of the National Security Advisor, at the AC Marriott Hotel Kingston on Thursday (January 12), Major General Anderson said 1,911 reports of domestic violence were received in 2022, representing a 67 per cent increase over 2021.

Major General Anderson pointed out that “interestingly, over 28 per cent of the victims… were males”.

The Commissioner said the increased number of reports for males represents a change in the culture and perception of victims of domestic abuse.

“At one time, persons would have to hide that. Now, we provide the conditions so that people can report it and it can be taken care of from a counselling perspective, resolving some of the issues,” he pointed out.

“The reason this is important to us and why we shift and pivot to this, is because we see too many [incidents]. Sixteen per cent of our murders relate to interpersonal issues… that’s a lot; and of those interpersonal ones, domestic violence has its own share,” the Commissioner added. Major General Anderson encourages persons to contact the centres, should they need assistance.

“Year on year, you see the numbers going up; this does not necessarily mean that the cases are going up. It could mean also and seems to mean, at least part of it, the confidence people have in reporting cases of domestic violence and the introduction of centres which the police run that people can go to when they have these issues,” he said.

The centres’ establishment form part of the Government’s efforts to address gender-based violence.

This, by strengthening the ability of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to respond and provide support to victims and family members.

The Domestic Violence Intervention Centres are the result of a collaboration between the European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN) under the Spotlight Initiative, which supports concrete measures to end violence against women and girls.

The Bureau of Gender Affairs works closely with the centres to provide psychosocial support and counselling to victims and survivors of domestic violence.