Meth link to spike in family harm

Reported family harm incidents in Southland are on the rise, figures show, and Women’s Refuge says a major cause is methamphetamine use in households.

Police figures provided to Stuff show officers attended and investigated 2255 family harm episodes in Southland in 2020 – the most of any year in the past decade.

The figure includes all instances where crime or noncrime incidents occurred.

The second-highest number of family harm episodes in the Southland police area (which includes Tapanui) in the past decade was in 2019, with 2242.

Invercargill police area manager Mike Bowman believed legislative settings, introduced in late 2018, were the main reason for the increase in reported assaults. These had risen nationwide since the introduction of new family violence offences, including strangulation and assault on a person in a family relationship, he said.

Invercargill Women’s Refuge service co-ordinator Cathy Robertson said the service was busier than normal, and she attributed much of that to increased methamphetamine use in the community.

‘‘I think it’s a real issue out there. People have said it’s definitely brought problems into their homes.

‘‘Women get to a stage where they just can’t cope with [less] money and the moods and the violence that goes with it.’’

Alcohol was often an issue in households, while a lack of housing options and job losses during Covid-19 were also putting pressure on relationships in Southland.

Bowman said family violence was a reality for thousands of families in New Zealand and remained a widespread problem.

Southland police had increased their response to family harm, with a ‘‘wraparound approach’’ from multiple agencies now ensuring more support for affected families.

‘‘This has enhanced the opportunity to build trust with victims and encourage others to come

‘‘It’s a real issue out there [meth]. People have said it’s definitely brought problems into their homes.’’ Cathy Robertson Invercargill Women’s Refuge service co-ordinator

forward and speak up,’’ Bowman said.

He urged people to seek help if they were a victim of family violence or fearful for their safety.

The figures, when broken down, show increasing numbers of reported family harm incidents in towns in western, central and eastern Southland.

There were 272 family harm investigations in Gore in 2020, a record for the last decade and 45 more than the second-highest number, in 2019.

Neighbouring Mataura also had a decade-high figure of 100 family harm investigations in

2020, five more than in each of the previous two years.

Wyndham had 55 family violence investigations in 2020, 14 more than its second-highest number, in 2014; while Otautau and Winton also recorded decade highs in 2020, of 39 and 82 respectively.

In Invercargill, there were 1434 family violence investigations in 2020, down from 1538 in 2019 and 1465 in 2018, but the third-highest in the last decade.

Though police are attending more family harm callouts, Ministry of Justice figures show family violence convictions in the Invercargill District Court decreased during the past five years, except among offenders aged 35 to 39.

There were 314 convictions in the Invercargill court five years ago, and 204 in the 2019-20 financial year. Convictions in the Gore District Court also decreased, from 47 five years ago to 32 in 2019-20.

However, the figures counted each person only once.