By STEVE GRAY
‘TIS the season to be jolly… Jolly scared, for some.
Sadly, amid the parties, presents and family gatherings domestic violence becomes more prevalent at this time of the year.
Financial pressures, old family feuds, hot weather, alcohol, all manner of things can start arguments.
“It can be a lot to do with the financial side of things,” said Bette Bonney, president of Warwick’s Safe Haven shelter for victims of domestic violence.
“People put too much pressure on themselves about what they think they need to purchase as far as gifts go,” Mrs Bonney said.
“Hot on the heels of that is ‘back to school’, so you’ve got another financial strain immediately.
“This can often cause pressures within the family.”
Mrs Bonney said hot weather and alcohol can add fuel to the fire.
“If there’s an alcohol problem within the family already it seems to be heightened at this time of the year.
“It heightens the inability of a person to think straight and handle situations.
“If there’s a tendency towards anger, too much alcohol immediately heightens that tendency, and then you’ve got arguments.
“Arguments can then spill over into violence.”
Mrs Bonner said domestic violence didn’t necessarily involve just physical abuse.
She said it included verbal abuse, manipulation, overbearing control of finances, or telephone and computer use.
“All these things can be heightened because of the pressures at Christmas time.”
Mrs Bonney said another potential flashpoint was the allocation of time for children of separated families.
“If they haven’t already been through a proper system with authorities to work out who’s got custody and when, then it can get very ugly, and of course the ones to suffer most are the children,” she said.
Domestic violence isn’t just restricted to husbands and wives, but can involve abuse of parents by younger people, abuse of children and elderly abuse.
“We strongly advise that people get the help they need,” Mrs Bonney said.
WHERE TO GO:
DV Connect (24/7 service) 1800 811 811
DV Toowoomba Service (business hours) 4639 3605
Men’s Line 1300 78 99 78.
Kid’s Help Line 1800 55 1800
Centacare staff visit regularly.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 2
POLICE experience an increased amount of domestic violence at this time of year, Senior Constable Wendy Tamblyn said.
“Domestic violence is a crime,” the Darling Downs Crime Prevention Co-ordinator said.
Sen Const Tamblyn urged members of the public to speak out.
“If you saw someone stealing from a supermarket you’d report it.
“If it was coming from the house next door would you report it?”
She said neighbours should make anonymous reports to police if they are aware domestic violence is occurring.
Sen Const Tamblyn said police, upon arrival at a domestic violence incident would firstly ensure the safety of all those involved.
Police can enter a residence where they have reasonable suspicion of domestic violence.
They also have the power to search the premises for any evidence and to ensure the safety of all involved.
Having ensured the personal safety of all involved, police will separate the parties involved and speak to individuals privately.
They will also question any witnesses, anonymously when required.
“A number of questions will be asked about the relationship between the parties, the history of domestic violence between the parties, and the current incident” Sen Const Tamblyn said.
Police may demand the name and address of anyone involved, including witnesses.
At the conclusion of the investigation, if domestic violence has been committed, there are a number of avenues for police to seek protection for those affected by domestic violence.
These include application for a protection order, issuing a Police Protection Notice, or applying to a magistrate for a temporary protection order.
If a police officer reasonably suspects that a domestic violence has been committed, the alleged attacker identified in the incident may be taken into police custody and detained for up to four hours.
If the respondent is intoxicated and incapable of understanding the documentation involved they can be held for up to eight hours.
Where children are involved in the incident, officers attending are required to make a report to child safety authorities.
SIDEBAR:
Queensland Police define domestic family violence as; “when one person in a relationship uses violent or abusive behaviour to control another”.
This can include; physical abuse, damage to property, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, harassment or intimidation, financial abuse, or the threat of any of these.
