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

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Participating Countries Samoa The past year has provided many opportunities for the Vaega O Sauaga I Totonu O Aiga, or Samoan Domestic Violence Team, with the most significant being the opening of their office on 4 July 2008. There is a lot of pride in the office, which marks the start of a new and improved service that the Samoan Police are now able to offer to those in the community who suffer from Domestic Violence. Inspector Karen Smith Honoured guests included the Police Minister and his deputy; Her Excellency, The NZ High Commissioner; Reverend Utufua Naseri, the Acting Commissioner of the Ministry of Police and Prison Services; the PPDVP Programme Manager and Regional Manager; and the Wellington District Commander, Superintendent Pieri Munro. The opening was further highlighted by the provision of a brand new Hyundai vehicle, specifically for the use of the team. Obtaining the vehicle was facilitated by the New Zealand Government and the Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme. It will have an immediate impact on the safety of victims, as it enables the team to respond immediately to reported incidences of domestic violence, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. In June, Constables Misipele and Vaalele represented Samoa at the Investigative Training Workshop in Tonga and since that date, the team have delivered a day’s training to each shift of General Policing. High Commissioner Samoa - Caroline Bilkey, cutting ribbon to new DV vehicle. Finally, it would not be fair to end this report without mentioning two extremely dedicated and hardworking members; Constables Vaalele and Usufono, who continue to stand out by the contributions they make. Constable Vaalele takes personal responsibility to ensure that all relationships with NGOs and partner agencies are developed and maintained to the highest possible standard, and with her excellent array of skills and attitude, the team have made significant in-roads in the community they serve. Constable Usafono stands out for her amazing ability in the uptake and development of the CMIS database, which was introduced in the Pacific in April of this year. Inspector Karen Smith Samoa Mentor Police Minister cutting ribbon to new DV offices. Dignitaries with Cam Ronald at opening DV Unit. 8 Superintendent Pieri Munro (District Commander - Wellington) on behalf of NZ Police.
Participating Countries Cook Islands The Cook Islands Police response to domestic violence continues to be bedded in as ‘business as usual’. The Cook Islands Policing Plan has domestic violence as Focus Area No.3, which highlights the importance the Commissioner places on this crime. The focus of the plan is to effectively apply a whole-of-policing approach to reducing domestic violence. A plan of action, outlining how this will be achieved, is set out within the Policing Plan. Sgt Rebecca Ellis, the previous Domestic Violence Coordinator, had played a key role in supporting and monitoring the police response. Mr John Robinson A new development in the Police is the introduction of the CMIS database, which has the ability to track all offences that come to the attention of the police. Incidents are recorded on the database by the Police Communication Centre when they first come to the attention of the Police. From that moment, all incidents and offences are recorded and tracked in the database from first call for service to the outcome at Court. This provides Constable Rangi with a tool to track all domestic violence incidents, identify repeat offenders and victims, and build up a picture of domestic violence in the Cook Islands. Victim information is also shared with Punanga Tauturu, the Women’s Counselling Centre, thus ensuring a better response to victim needs. Constable Rangi and Sgt Ellis will be working together closely, Sgt Ellis is also a member of the Management Board of Punanga Tauturu so is well positioned to identify and address any issues that may arise from a victim’s perspective. This database has the potential to provide an intelligence-led Police response to domestic violence. This approach is still ‘work in progress’ and training is an essential part of building competency for police and community organisations. The PRPI training programme is very helpful in this area. Training was held recently for police officers to update their knowledge and skill in sexual abuse cases. Twenty one front line and prosecution staff attended the training that focused on investigating this crime. The Cook Islands Forensic Police officer was also on hand to support the training. An important part of the training was how to support victims as they negotiated the Police investigation and Court processes. While the topic was sexual abuse, the issues of domestic violence were also covered, as aspects of investigating the crimes are similar. Part of this workshop included training for the doctors and nurses from the main hospital on Rarotonga, staff from Internal Affairs, and Punanga Tauturu. Issues of cooperation and coordination between agencies were discussed and a working party was considered to address solutions to these issues. John Robinson with new DV Unit O/C Pauline Rangi. Trying out new speed radar. PPDVP deployments support this activity as a whole-of-policing and community response to domestic violence. Education and training in the outer islands has been on the back burner this year, but we will renew our focus on this next deployment with planned sessions for the island of Atiu. Mr John Robinson Cook Islands Mentor John with members of Punaga Tauturu (NGO). 9
Page 1 and 2: ISSN 1178-1963 News DECEMBER 2008
Page 3 and 4: Farewell to old friends and Welcome
Page 5 and 6: PNG Study Tour - Auckland NZ, Septe
Page 7: Participating Countries Tonga The D
Page 11 and 12: We had a wonderful feast and we all

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