Framework aims to help police forces across Canada deal with Intimate Partner Violence

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) have released a framework that outlines how police forces across Canada should deal with cases relating to intimate partner violence.

The ‘National Framework for Collaborative Police Act on Intimate Partner Violence’ (IVP)was released to create a unified response to intimate partner violence  across the country, with the hope of establishing consistency.

READ MORE: Canada’s family violence rates are staggering, says new report

According to Barrie Police Chief Kimberley Greenwood, a quarter of all police-reported violence crime in Canada is due to family violence.

Greenwood, who also co-chairs the Crime Prevention, Community Safety and Wellbeing Committee, says so there will be an application of the law and supports in place that will “ensure we’re meeting everybody’s needs, and specifically the victims of this violent crime.”

She says the framework defines what IPV means.  According to the framework, it refers to the behaviour of an intimate partner or ex-partner relating to behaviour that causes sexual or psychological harm — including physical aggression, sexual coercion, controlling behaviour and psychological abuse.

Greenwood says that in 2013 there were 505 homicides in Canada, and 68 of them were acts of IVP.

In Fredericton alone, police chief Leanne Fitch says officers respond to more than 500 calls annually relating to IPV.

“Training our officers, developing good policy and consistent policy is going to allow officers to go to those scenes or recognize in advance, put preventative measures in place, hook them up with community partners and hopefully prevent further incidents from happening,” Fitch said.

Canadian Observatory on the Justice System’s Response to Family Violence at the University of New Brunswick Dr. Carmen Gill is the lead researcher and conducted research-based evidence overt he past two years with a team of subject matter experts.

“We really want to see changes across the country. We want to see police agencies really embrace this idea that we need to work in collaboration when it comes to responding to intimate partner violence,” Gill said.

The framework will be reviewed constantly to monitor the effectiveness of the strategy and ensure victims and children are supported.