Special Victims Unit On Domestic Violence

Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 6, 2020 (ZIZ News):On Thursday’s episode of “Policing with You”, Host, Sergeant Treveron Richards was joined by Sergeant in charge of the Special Victim’s Unit, Consie Rogers and Constable Patrice Dore who is also attached to the unit to discuss the topic of domestic abuse.

Sergeant Rogers explained some of the signs of abuse.

“For example you may find someone wearing what we call a high neck shirt, a turtle neck shirt and still a scarf and they have on shades that’s because they probably hiding scars and bruises from the constant physical abuse and sometimes they try to find excuses as to why they’re wearing long sleeve and such.”

She added that another sign of abuse is when someone has their partner in isolation and control their every move.

Sergeant Rogers also highlighted some of the classifications of abuse under the Domestic Violence Act noting that those actions are against the law.

“Domestic violence under the Domestic Violence Act is any conduct that constitutes domestic violence these include violence that result in or likely to result in physical and sexual suffering, psychological suffering, threats of violence, coercion, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, molestation, conduct of an offensive or harassing nature, conduct which amounts to psychological abuse, intimidation or persecution and final abuse. Regardless of the nature of the offence under crime these actions are against the law.”

Corporal Dore explained some of the challenges that the police face when investigating these cases.

“A person will make a report and you will try to follow up on the report where they refuse to answer their phone. They refuse to answer the police either to visit their homes to see what’s going on or refusing to give the police a statement, refusing to cooperate with the police where the police would inform them that the police can take the matter before the court. Some of them in the heat of the moment they would say that they would want to go to court but when the police come to follow up on the report they already change they mind because everything cool down and I guess everything is back to normal.”

“Policing with You” airs every Thursday morning at 9:15 am on ZIZ radio during the “Morning Show” and streamed live on ZIZ’s social media platforms.