Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police releases new framework at University of New Brunswick
CBC News Posted: Nov 14, 2016 4:08 PM AT Last Updated: Nov 14, 2016 7:29 PM AT
Police forces across the country now have a uniform framework for how to respond to cases of intimate partner violence.
Fredericton Police Chief Leanne Fitch says there were "pockets" of good work being done across the country, but "there was no consistency."
"This is a guide of best practices," Fitch said Monday as the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police released a national framework for responding to intimate partner violence.
Fitch said many people would be surprised to learn that every year, the Fredericton Police Force responds to between 500 and 600 calls dealing with such violence.
N.B. rate among highest
New Brunswick has one of the highest per-capita rates of murders related to intimate partner violence in the country, she said.
Family violence accounts for more than 25 per cent of all violent crime reported to police across the country, states the report.
"They are very dangerous calls for service that our first responders go to," said Fitch.
"If officers aren't property trained, if they don't have good policy and protocols to follow, these situations can quickly get out of hand.
"These are some of the most dangerous calls for service that you can respond to because they are so emotionally charged.
"There are a lot of moving parts when officers respond."
Research by Carmen Gill at the University of New Brunswick provided the foundation for a new framework for police forces across the country on how to deal with cases of intimate partner violence. (Catherine Harrop/CBC)
The national framework was released at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. The document was developed from research headed by Carmen Gill of UNB's Canadian observatory on the justice system's response to family violence.
Fitch said the document will now be rolled out to police forces across the country and monitoring will take place in the coming years to determined the response.
Fitch said she expects to see an increase in reported incidents of intimate partner violence as awareness increases.
"At some point in time we hope that those will start to plateau as our interventions and our education take root," said Fitch.
"And then eventually we'd like to see those numbers come down."