“Sharing the Knowledge” - Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence ...

Programme update
Welcome to another edition of the PPDVP News. It has become
a bit of a best seller as we now distribute over 500 copies around
the region.
The PPDVP has started to work with the Vanuatu Police Force
who have joined the programme as a participating country.
We have included a “bio” for the new Vanuatu mentor,
Alan McGlade of Hamilton. We also welcome an additional
reserve mentor, Sue O’Neill, from the Central Police District in
New Zealand. You will see that they both have a wide range
of experience that enhances our overall skills base for the
programme. Welcome to Alan and Sue.
The Case Management and Intelligence System (CMIS) database
from Jade Software is in place in a number of countries and going
well. The take-up by staff has been excellent and their knowledge
of the number and range of domestic violence cases is increasing
through the use of this tool. The Cook Islands Police are using
it throughout their police service and the overall feedback from
them has been excellent.
This edition includes an article about the annual DV training
course, which was held in Tonga in June. The focus was around
investigating reports of domestic violence and gathering the
best possible evidence to support the prosecution of offenders.
The Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP) met in Samoa in
September. The PICP continue to offer their support to the
PPDVP, and we have seen some clear instances of this. In PNG, the
Commissioner has taken a firm line on cases where his staff have
assaulted their partners and we congratulate him on this. A group
of the Micronesian Chiefs of Police have asked for assistance.
This will be assessed and hopefully occur early next year.
In November, we will join with the Pacific Islands Law Officers
Network (PILON) and NZ Crown Law who facilitate an annual
training course for prosecutors in litigation skills. The course now
includes a DV component using material from the investigations
course syllabus. Five police prosecutors will attend the training
in Vanuatu. We are also planning a basic prosecutions training
course for about eight police prosecutors in April or May next
year in Auckland. The NZ Police Prosecutions Service is working
with the PPDVP on this.
A senior investigator from Papua New Guinea spent ten days
in Auckland on a domestic and family violence study tour.
This edition includes some extracts from his report, and the
lessons he learnt. It was a very useful tour and one that we will
look to repeat.
The PPDVP Team offers you all our best wishes for the end of the
year and the Christmas and festive seasons, and we hope that
you have some quality time with your families and friends.
Cam Ronald
2
Cover Photo: Pacific participants attending the Auckland Study tour
in November 2008. Photo: John Selkirk, Dominion Post.
Understanding
the Pacific
The New Zealand Police
Commissioner recently commented
on the challenges of policing the
pacific. Commissioner Howard
Broad spoke of providing assistance
Cam Ronald
to other police services, and
he noted “Inevitably, the first step is to develop the trust and
confidence between donor and recipient - that is the basis of all
human interactions.”
“When I sit down and talk with my counterparts from across the
Pacific, once I have their confidence that I understand them as
human beings, that we have offered each other the respect due
each other, and this includes overcoming an inherent shyness on the
part of Pacific people, they have plenty to say about their needs. “
The Commissioner concluded his commentary with “Sometimes
going to places like Samoa, the Solomons, Timor Leste and
Rarotonga points out to us that regardless of the operating
environment the principles of decent policing are the same.”
These comments struck a chord with the various activities that
make up the PPDVP. At the recent Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police
(PICP) meeting in Samoa a group of the Micronesian chiefs of police
raised the need for support around domestic violence knowledge,
understanding and training in their three countries. Each has
diverse needs but the underlying theme is that they wish to do the
best for their people, and to deal with these crimes and the harm
they cause.
Providing assistance to the countries in Micronesia is no simple
matter - most of them are at least two days travel from New Zealand,
often meaning up to four “sometimes connecting” flights each way,
and the countries themselves are mostly made up of a series of
small communities on scattered islands. The PPDVP will listen to the
local police, discuss their problems and see how we can help them
over the next few months.
At the time that this edition of the PPDVP News reaches you, a
series of gender based violence surveys in the Solomon Islands and
Kiribati will have been released. The picture painted in these two
surveys is not a pretty one with extremely high levels of violence,
both physical and sexual, committed against women by their
partners and within their communities. These surveys will bring a
spotlight on to the pacific. The PPDVP is responding to identify ways
in which we assist the local police to reduce harm to the victims,
their families and society.
The programme welcomes any comments/contributions
to the newsletter. If you wish to make comment,
please direct to Kim Woon (Support Officer, PPDVP),
Level 4 - PPDVP / ISG New Zealand Police Headquarters,
180 Molesworth Street, Wellington, New Zealand or
email kim.woon@police.govt.nz DDI 64 4 4707373,
Cell 64 021 224 3526. Fax: 64 4 4749540.