STARK INCREASE IN DV REPORTS AGAINST POLICE

The Police Complaints Authority is reporting a stark increase in domestic violence reports where police officers are the alleged perpetrators.

Transcript

00:00The Police Complaints Authority fielded 45 cases of domestic violence in the seven-year

00:06period 2011 to 2018.

00:0937 were allegedly perpetrated by a police officer.

00:13But a report published yesterday by the Police Complaints Authority shows a stark increase.

00:19That is, in a one-year period from 2023 to 2024, the authority says it received 63 such

00:28reports.

00:29But yesterday involved a police officer as the alleged offender.

00:33Fifty of those cases comprised physical violence and ten verbal.

00:37PCA Deputy Director Michelle Solomon-Baksh says since 2019, advice was sent to the Commissioner

00:44of Police on 14 occasions following their investigations.

00:49The PCA advised the police commissioner to, among other things, consider relieving officers

00:55subject to domestic violence complaints of their TTPs issued and personal firearms, to

01:03appropriately train officers to treat with domestic violence reports, when responding

01:08to domestic violence complaints, to assess for co-occurring and interconnected crimes

01:14like stalking, sexual violence, strangulation, firearm prohibitions, protection order violations,

01:21intimidation and threats, and abuse of children, elders and animals, to ensure officers provide

01:28an explanation if an arrest is not made, and to mandate officers to respond to every domestic

01:35violence complaint.

01:38The 78-page report makes note of the fact that the TTPs' investigative and procedural

01:43manual is more than two decades old.

01:46The authority placed on record it never received a response to its formal correspondence to

01:52the senior superintendent of the Gender-Based Violence Unit requesting a meeting with the

01:56team to improve police engagement with victims.

02:01The authority further says, quote, domestic violence is a critical issue in Trinidad and

02:06Tobago with rising reports of intimate partner violence leading to severe injuries and fatalities.

02:13Victims often encounter barriers such as stigma and inadequate support from law enforcement

02:19and social services, end quote.

02:21The report made reference to its 2018 investigation into the neglect of duty by the police in

02:27reports of domestic violence lodged by Samantha Isaacs.

02:32Samantha was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her former partner, Karim

02:36Garcia, which resulted in her tragic death in 2017.

02:41The woman was violently attacked from 2013 to 2017, and it was determined she did not

02:48receive adequate and effective protection, despite several reports to police.

02:53The PCA recommended disciplinary action to be considered against the defaulting officer.

02:59Arvishi Tewari, Rupan Rai, TV6 News.