Group calls on province to establish protocol in domestic-abuse cases

In the wake of the homicide of a Mont-St-Hilaire teen, a women’s organization is asking the province to step in and outline a formal protocol to be used in cases of domestic violence.

The Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale said the government needs to act so authorities working with people involved in domestic violence have a proper protocol to follow. The group said it’s imperative women who are the subject of violence by their spouses get the help they need.

The call comes as Daphné Huard-Boudreault, 18, was found dead in her apartment on Wednesday. According to colleagues, she had complained to police hours before she was afraid of her former boyfriend. Anthony Pratte-Lops, 22, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in court on Thursday.

According to colleagues, HuardBoudreault found her ex-boyfriend in her car Wednesday morning after spending the night away from their shared apartment. She drove with him to work and called police shortly afterward. Colleagues said police didn’t arrest Pratte-Lops, and instead called a taxi to take him home. They said police told her they would not provide an escort back to the apartment because they didn’t want Pratte-Lops to be embarrassed.

Colleagues complained of the police reaction in the wake of Huard-Boudreault’s death. It’s also unclear if police escorted Huard-Boudreault home after she had said she felt unsafe confronting Pratte-Lops. One account of the incident said a police officer assigned to escort her went to the wrong house, while another said the officer walked into the

apartment just behind HuardBoudreault, and she was attacked seconds after entering.

Quebec’s Bureau of Independent Investigations is investigating the police intervention leading up to the homicide, while the Sûreté du Québec has taken over the homicide investigation from the local police force, the Régie intermunicipale de police Richelieu/StLaurent.

Sylvie Langlais, the president of the group, said when a complaint of conjugal violence is made, victims should immediately be referred to experts who deal daily with such cases and can help ensure safety.

“Maybe if Daphné had come into contact with a resource person who could make recommendations and sensitize her to the possible dangers she would have told her to be careful, and if she would

have to go get her belongings, to do so with at least two police officers,” Langlais said.

She added support groups need more resources to be able to respond to all such demands, and is asking the province to provide more funds to help prevent such cases in the future.

She added police officers on the job also need to have more training to deal with such issues. As it stands, only six hours of training at police academies are dedicated to the subject. She said officers on the job should be continuously retrained on the subject.

In 2014, the last year for which figures are available, there were 11 homicides and 30 attempted murders attributed to conjugal violence in the province. All the victims were women.