Coercive control and domestic abuse

On this month’s Crimecall Chief Superintendent Declan Daly from the Garda National Protective Services Bureau discusses the increase in Domestic Abuse since the Covid-19 Pandemic commenced.

Chief Superintendent Daly will also discuss the following:

• Operation Faoiseamh which is a proactive protective measure which was launched with the aim of providing information, support and protection to victims by:

1. Communicating and Reassuring victims of abuse that An Garda Siochana was committed to addressing the issue of domestic abuse and that we would be taking a proactive approach to ‘Keeping People Safe’ during the lockdown period.

2. Increasing call backs to victims of domestic abuse which takes place within seven days of a domestic abuse incident.

3. Providing a second layer of proactive call backs to all victims of domestic abuse who had engaged with An Garda Siochana since the start of 2020. The purpose of this extra layer was to provide information, support and to identify risks to individual victims. The project aimed to use both Gardaí and Garda staff to ensure the best use of available resources during a time of increased demand. This measure also gave victims the opportunity to reach out and seek help.

4. Ensuring the protection of victims through the investigation and detection of all Domestic Violence Act Court orders. COVID-19 presented unprecedented risks to victims of domestic abuse.

• Coercive control, which is a persistent pattern of controlling and coercive behaviour, and has a serious impact on the health and welfare of the victim. Unfortunately the story provided in the introduction by the victim is a situation that is becoming more and more common.

- The typical perception of domestic crime is about violent actions, but it’s much more, domestic abuse is of course violence but it is also emotional, physical, financial, sexual or threatening behaviour.

- It is a cause of serious distress for those who suffer and which has an adverse effect on the victims day to day life.

- The offence applies to a spouse or a civil or intimate partner, irrespective of gender (Intimate partner does not have to mean being in a sexual relationship), and applies to current and previous partners

- Examples of behaviour:
o Monitoring
o Micromanaging victims actions or interactions
o Dictating who a victim can call, make contact with or socialise with
o Emotional and physical abuse
o Staking and harassment via social media, through technology or through surveillance
o Sexual abuse
o The offenders take over huge aspects of a victim’s life

- We appeal to any person who is a victim of domestic abuse and/or coercive control to make contact with An Garda Síochána and if they require urgent assistance or support, to please contact 112 or 999.

- We wish emphasis that, if someone engaging in the types of behaviours associated with coercive control are committing a crime and they will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The recent prison sentence imposed for coercive control should be a flag raised for them to check their behaviour.

• Coercive Control came into law on the 01.01.2019 upon the enactment of Section 39 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018.

Statistics

1. 16% increase in domestic abuse incidents in 2020 from 2019.

2. Operation Faoiseamh 23,785 contacts and attempted contacts were made with victims of domestic abuse.

3. 24% increase charging of offenders for domestic abuse related crime in 2020. In 2020, 7645 charges for crimes involving an element of domestic abuse were preferred.

4. 17% increase in breaches of Domestic Abuse Court Orders, with 4323 orders notified to An Garda Síochán in 2020.

5. Criminal Charges preferred for breaches of DVA Order up 25% in 2020 to 4,036.

So what this tells us is that there has been an overall increase in Domestic Abuse calls for service in 2020 and An Garda Síochán have responded to that with an increase in prosecutions for coercive control, domestic violence and breaches of court orders.