Partnership for Peace Coordinator Dr. Robert ‘Storm’ Wright addresses officers at a Police Force meeting today on the subject of conflict in the home. Photo:Provided

Statistics show a reduction in nearly all categories of crime with the exception of domestic assaults which average about 147 cases per year and amount to more than half of the assaults committed Territory-wide.

Commissioner of Police David Morris attributes this rise to two factors. “One of the reasons for the increase in reports is the change in the RVIPF domestic violence policy which requires officers to take positive action to all domestic incidences. Now law enforcement, social, family and medical service have joined forces to ensure that domestic incidences are reported and properly recorded. Even reports where only voices are raised have increased. Second is that the exercise of self-control is still not promoted in many societies worldwide as it should be,” he said.

“There will always be conflict and there is no choice the matter; it is part of life. We have a choice however in how we deal with that conflict,” he added.

During the next few weeks, Police will be partnering with other stakeholders including Gender Affairs and the Partnership for Peace Programme to bring attention both inside the Force and outside to alternatives in resolving conflict an effort to reduce domestic violence incidences. 

To begin this month’s campaign, Programme Coordinator for Partnership for Peace Dr. Robert ‘Storm’ Wright addressed officers and staff during a Police Force meeting on the subject of conflict in the home and he openly testified of his own struggles.

Dr. Wright expressed the inherent difficulties as law enforcers in keeping the conflict experienced at work out of home and family life, but shared the importance of identifying the source of conflict and keeping it out of family life.

The Partnership for Peace Programme is 16-week programme intended to encourage and support male perpetrators of violence to attain a violent-free lifestyle. The programme has nine goals, three of which are to teach participants skills for addressing conflict; to establish and model an atmosphere of respect and to create a network of men who will advocate for non-violent relationships.