Domestic violence victims seeking refuge from their abusers have little faith the police will help them, according to a damning report presented to Parliament by the Social Affairs Committee.
“I did not file a report after the fourth time. By then, I had lost all trust in the police,” a victim told the committee.
Victims of domestic violence alleged that, in certain cases, police officers were even reluctant to take action due to their acquaintance with the aggressors.
The way police handle domestic violence reports has been seriously questioned by the report, which was presented in July last year but only became public last month, when it was formally tabled in Parliament.
Claims were also made that, in some instances, the police downplayed cases of domestic violence to the extent that some reports were left gathering dust or not processed at all.
‘Officers reluctant to take action’
The report, which includes 31 recommendations, was compiled on the basis of the findings resulting from 13 meetings held last year by the Social Affairs Committee chaired by Labour MP Deborah Schembri. Experts, NGOs, victims, the police and the health department were among those invited to share their views on this issue.
An inter-ministerial committee will be set up to oversee the implementation of the recommendations made.
Dr Schembri told the Times of Malta domestic violence was a deep-rooted problem.
“This report must be followed up with concrete action and, for this reason, efforts are being made to tackle the problem across the board with the involvement of the Home Affairs Ministry, which is directly responsible for the police force,” she noted.
At the time, then police commissioner Peter Paul Zammit told the committee that each report had to be filed instantly and no details should be left out. “This could be of help when the case is being heard before a court,” he said.
Mr Zammit also noted that a study was under way to make police stations more user-friendly and to have computerised systems that would allow victims to compile the report themselves. This would avoid leaving out important details and improve transparency.
The report noted that a number of entities would be collaborating with the police to evaluate the manner in which the force was handling cases reported. The exercise would be carried out through a questionnaire and would serve to identify areas in need of attention.
The former police chief was reacting to shocking revelations made by a number of victims who expressed disillusionment at the limited support they received from the authorities in general.
A common complaint was that victims did not bother to file a report because, in many cases, the aggressor turned out to have good contacts with the police. According to one victim, an officer once advised her to “sleep on it” (the incident) rather than take action.
Such behaviour by an officer supposedly tasked with protecting a victim was both degrading and unacceptable, the report said.
In another case, a victim who had requested the police to order her aggressor to remove weapons from their house as she feared for her safety was given no protection at all.
She recounted that the feedback she got from the police was that what she had requested was not necessary because her partner “would not use them”. It later transpired that the aggressor had links with a particular police officer.
Doubts were also raised over whether cases of domestic violence were being taken seriously enough. “Many victims complained that their report was filed on a scrap of paper which was probably thrown away. One of the victims said that after learning she could ask for the report number, it transpired that many reports were either never filed at all or did not reflect her statement,” the report said.
When the victim confronted the police officer in question, he told her: “What difference does it make to you?”
The report said such an attitude left victims completely helpless.
Ill-equipped police stations
The report flagged the lack of privacy when victims filed domestic violence reports at police stations. In this respect, it was pointed out that efforts were being made to have a dedicated ‘quiet room’.
The committee heard that a victim who had confided details of her case, including the rape of her daughter, later learnt that the police officer had opened the window to allow the aggressor to eavesdrop on their conversation.
In general, victims recounted their humiliation of having to divulge details of their case in a crowded police station.
Another shortcoming flagged by the report is that certain police stations lacked a printer, so victims could not be given a copy of the report they had lodged. In some cases, this worked against them because it later transpired that certain details had either been left out or did not reflect their version of events.
Key recommendations
• When filing a report at a local police station, victims of domestic violence should be asked whether there were any witnesses who could be summoned in court.
• Court summons for the aggressor should be issued as early as possible and, if need be, the police could seek the help of the victim to trace the accused.
• Police stations should be equipped with proper facilities (quiet rooms) where victims coule file a report in complete privacy.
• Victims must be given a copy of the charges so as to spot any potential error that might lead to dismissal of the accused.
• There should be a sentencing policy so that the punishment inflicted by the courts reflects the severity of the crime committed.
• Better training for doctors to identify potential cases of domestic violence.
• Better access to psychological support and better training for the police force on how to handle such cases.
• A university study to determine whether there is the need to open a shelter for male victims of abuse.
• Extending childcare services to centres offering shelter to victims of violence.
• Setting up intervention centres where multidisciplinary teams can assists victims and offer them shelter in cases of emergency.