Pets often a barrier in domestic violence
At eight o’clock on a Tuesday night, Invercargill police were trying to find a home for cats and chickens caught up in domestic violence.
Police and animal activists agree pets are often a barrier for people trying to escape family harm.
Homing the animals and the spike in domestic violence incidents at Christmas time are both on the police radar.
Today is international White Ribbon Day, when people wear the ribbon to show they do not condone violence towards women.
Invercargill detective sergeant John Kean said domestic violence call outs generally increased from about 30 to 40 a week at Christmas time.
Without being intrusive, police would be doing their regular checks of families who were known to have family harm issues, Kean said.
‘‘You don’t want to add to their pressures by knocking on
the door every other day.’’
Officers would try to sit down with the families and found out their situations, Kean said.
‘‘Where’s this family at now and is there anything you can do
to try and help them or assist them. It’s not all about going and arresting them.’’
Invercargill family harm police staff has increased to nine in recent years, he said.
‘‘There is a lot more resources available to put into family harm than there ever has been before.’’
Pets were often a barrier for people suffering family violence in Southland, he said.
A facility is being built outside Auckland where pets can be sent, so owners don’t have to worry about them if they need to leave.
Pet Refuge founder Julie Chapman said fundraising was underway and the project was modelled on the RSPCA New South Wales domestic violence programme.
The facility would transport animals from all over the country, including Southland, to the shelter and there would also be a network of safe farms for larger animals, Chapman said.
There had been interest from farm owners in Southland as well, she said.
Ministry of Justice data shows the number of people charged with family violence offences in all of Southland was about the same as it was six years ago. There were 672 people charged with family violence offences in Southland in the 2019/2020 financial year.
That was 3.5 per cent of the national tally.
This week, the Invercargill Women’s Refuge was given $100,000 by Rio Tinto.