PPDVP Evaluation Report - Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence ...

inclusion of domestic violence training into the police training curriculum, and a potential traineridentified. Media promotion about the Family Protection Unit (FPU) has raised communityawareness of this specialised team and it is expected this will lead to greater reporting.72. Operational responses including improved procedures, protocols, and case management systems,are being developed and implemented. Feedback to this evaluation indicates that there is now amore systematic response to complaints with increased professionalism in the investigation andrecording of domestic violence matters, although there is still some inconsistency in policeresponses. There is a perception that if a complaint is made it will be handled "pretty well" and thatthe facilities and processes now used mean that victims feel more at ease in making complaints.73. There is increasing demand for more accurate statistics and for capture of data for reporting tosenior police management. The Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) uses CRIMS (the AFP database), andPPDVP worked with AFP to incorporate domestic violence into the database. Limited domesticviolence information has been included in the reports going to the Police Commissioner; the PPDVPmentor has provided the officer responsible for gathering data from CRIMS with a draft DomesticViolence report to help ensure that appropriate domestic violence information will be available forreports.74. Police have undertaken activities to raise community awareness on domestic violence. The WhiteRibbon Day parade brought together VPF, Vanuatu Military Force, other government agencies andNGOs to publicise concerns about domestic violence in a public forum.75. The NGOs in Vanuatu are reported to be supportive of police efforts to address domestic violenceand of the new roles within the FPU. The relationship with the key domestic violence response NGO(Vanuatu Centre for Women) has grown, but needs further strengthening. Building this relationshipwas given priority over potential relationships with other NGOs, in this initial period of the PPDVP.76. Some respondents raised concern about the creation of a National Domestic Violence Committee,unless it could be part of an existing structure. The existing structure led by VCW provides a nucleusfor a national Gender Based Violence Committee, and the Police Commissioner has reportedly givenin-principle support to this.77. Priority areas for future su~~ortFamily Violence Training for all recruits and frontline staff, to be rolled out to all policeEnhance the collection and analysis of domestic violence data in CRIMS, including a data entryprocess that enables the generation of a regular domestic violence report for PoliceManagement to inform decisions and responses to domestic violenceTracking of domestic violence cases from reporting to prosecution or closing of the caseSupport to consolidate and reinforce good practice in responding to domestic violenceBuild on relationships with other stakeholders, including engagement with ChiefsSupport collaborative workshops and training opportunities with other key domestic violenceplayers, to raise awareness and develop a 'system-wide' consistent response to domesticviolencea Encouraging police management to give priority to mobilising effective governancearrangements for the PPDVPGreater collaboration between PPDVP and other policing and law &justice programmes incountrySupport work with other agencies for awareness raising and for implementation of the FamilyProtection Act-PPDVP Evaluation Report Page 13