Waterloo police to offer walk-in support for domestic abuse victims

Waterloo regional police say they will now offer walk-in support service in downtown Kitchener for those who are going through domestic abuse.

The new service will be available at Carizon (400 Queen St. S.) near Victoria Park on Tuesdays from noon until 6 p.m.

According to a release, police are looking to offer barrier-free access to those in need of such services as police reporting, safety planning, family supports, access to shelter services and counselling.

“As a founding member of the Family Violence Project, the Police Service remains committed to supporting survivors of intimate partner violence and their families, as well as holding offenders accountable. Intimate partner violence has no place in our community,” Staff Sgt. Jamie Brosseau stated.

She is part of the service’s intimate partner violence unit, which conducted 9,500 investigations and laid more than 19,000 charges between 2016 and 2021.

Police point to these numbers as indicators that domestic violence remains a major problem in the area.

“We hope this new initiative will help more victims come forward and get the support they need,” Brosseau said.