CCChat-Magazine_3

What made you go into this line
of work?
I got into law enforcement as a 19 year
old. It’s something I had always
wanted to do. My last role within the
VRU really turned my world on its
head. I just started to see a world
where my two daughters faced real
issues and challenges. I met some
really interesting people including my
now friend Jackson Katz. Jackson
forced me to self-inspect my attitudes
and behaviours. I have to say it was
like getting hit by a 40-tonne lorry.
Now that I see it I will never be able to
un-see it. For me I just want to engage
others in conversations that allow
them to see the issues at play.
Prevention for me needs to involve a
dripping tap approach. Not one
response will provide the solution. It
will take many small steps and actions
that together will make the difference
we need.
What, in your opinion is the most
misunderstood, the biggest myth
in the understanding of violence
prevention?
For me there are many challenges. The
biggest for me is in how society defines
the term violence itself. Most people
will define violence as the physical
stuff.
“the work I was doing brought me into some conflict with other
colleagues who simply thought that to tackle violence we
needed to come down hard on the criminal. ”
How do people react when you tell
them what you do?
In the last years of my service, the work I was
doing brought me into some conflict with
other colleagues who simply thought that to
tackle violence we needed to come down
hard on the criminal.
I look at violence now through the lens of
public health. This has allowed me to ask lots
of questions about behaviour but at all times
still hold people accountable. What we see
playing out in our communities: the antisocial
behaviour, the violence and the
addictions are often rooted in early years
experiences.
We ignore these at our peril. This for me is
why our collective response to domestic
violence is so important. We will never have
peace on our streets, and in our world until
we have peace in the home. That’s fact. I’ve
persevered and just kept pegging away, so
much so that many colleagues and even
family members now see the issues at play.
The punch, the kick, the slap. A question I
always ask of people is “If we simply
define violence as the end result, how do
we expect to prevent it?” That’s the first
challenge. We need to think differently
and widen our lens when it comes to
violence. There are many other challenges
including how we blame victims, media
consumption, notions of masculinity.
These may have to wait for another time.
Which question makes you cringe?
Not so much a question but a
statement.
As I say above I do a lot of work to
prevent domestic violence and sexual
violence. It’s clear that girls and women
are most at risk and that men are the
main perpetrators.
CCChat Magazine - Making the Invisible Visible