Amid dozens of domestic violence murders in recent years, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee on Monday said that a “new preventative and pro-active approach” is required on this scourge and child abuse.
His statement came amid a clutch of new security initiatives. Rohee told his audience at the police training facility at Eve Leary that his ministry is of the view that “an expanded physical presence on the ground for the purpose of information gathering and prevention could go a far way in preventing and reducing Domestic Violence and Child Abuse”.
He outlined a multi-pronged approach: the recruitment of larger numbers of social workers who would be at an appropriate point in each station/magisterial district or Neighbourhood Democratic Council and hiking the number of neighbourhood police who patrol neighbourhoods on a 24-hour basis.
He said that there was therefore a need to recruit more neighbourhood police and that advertisements will soon be placed in the media inviting persons to apply. In this respect, Cabinet has approved the recruiting of 100 neighbourhood police ranks. He added that the ministry will work closely with the Ministry of Human Services on the “possible recruitment of an increased number of social workers”.
For years, the government has been criticized for not taking stronger measures on domestic violence. The Ministry of Human Services has spearheaded several initiatives against domestic violence. This included the establishing of white zones for victims of violence.
