Why do the police find it hard to intervene effectively in cases of domestic violence, even though many policy initiatives have been aimed at improving the situation?

Authors Avatar

Why do the police find it hard to intervene effectively in cases of domestic violence, even though many policy initiatives have been aimed at improving the situation?

 Firstly, I will start by establishing what domestic violence is and who commits it, and then go on to discuss why this is a very sensitive subject and list all the factors that come into play causing the police not to be effective in giving the victims of this hidden crime justice.

Then I will go on to discuss the policy initiatives over the years that have been made to help victims of domestic violence. Lastly, I will summarise and conclude issues raised and provide a clear judgement on the subject from the research that I have undertaken on the topic.

Domestic violence occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate or harm the other. The term "intimate partner violence" (IPV) is often used synonymously, other terms have included "wife beating", "wife battering", "man beating", "husband battering", "relationship violence", "domestic abuse", "spousal abuse", and "family violence".

Recent attention to domestic violence began in the women's movement as concern about wives being beaten by their husbands, and has remained a major focus of modern feminism, particularly in terms of "violence against women".

The Women's Aid Federation England report, 1992 states that “1 in 4 women may experience violence in their relationships with men, Severe, repeated and systematic violence occurs in at least 5 of every hundred marriages in Britain; between 40 and 45% of murdered women are killed by their male partners; between 1 and 2 women are murdered by their male partners every week; more than 25% of all violent crime reported to the police is domestic violence of men against women, making it the second most common violent crime” Domestic violence, action for change, G. Hague & E. Malos, 1993).

Join now!

Domestic violence occurs in all cultures; people of all races, ethnicities, religions, and classes can be perpetrators of domestic violence. Domestic violence is perpetrated by, and on, both men and women, and occurs in same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.

Now I will start to discuss why this is a very sensitive subject. When it comes to domestic violence a lot of people believe that it is normal for intimate couples to abuse each other “to hear battered women recount these experiences is to hear stories of abuse which are often characterised as ‘normal’ interaction of intimate couples” E A, ...

This is a preview of the whole essay