10 Thursday <strong>June</strong> <strong>29</strong> <strong>2017</strong> Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi <strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> News Building a safer society Today <strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> launches a series on the work police in Canterbury are doing on crime prevention. It will run weekly covering a wide range of topics as police head off trouble before it starts. Gabrielle Stuart reports on family harm IT IS not often you will see a police officer cry. But sitting in a small, white-painted meeting room, talking about the cycle of family harm and the passion he has seen his team pour into turning it around, Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Cottam gets misty-eyed and his voice becomes a bit huskier. “I haven’t seen a better cause in 27 years in police than this. For myself and my team, everyone joined the police to make a difference, and this is what makes it worthwhile: Working in prevention,” he said. “I get teared-up talking about it, because that’s the impact this has.” <strong>The</strong> problem is nothing new: Over those 27 years, he has seen many bruises caused by family violence. In the past year alone, his team has dealt with 9125 family harm episodes in Christchurch – and they believe about four times that amount could go unreported. Each incident becomes part of the family violence cycle, which goes back decades. <strong>The</strong> incident. <strong>The</strong> victim. <strong>The</strong> perpetrator. <strong>The</strong> agencies they are referred to, the reports written, orhome the court appearances. <strong>The</strong> risk of re-offending judged and categorised. n <strong>The</strong> Show victims who go back to a relationship, even after the e Arena y <strong>2017</strong> omeshow.co.nz violence. <strong>The</strong> perpetrators who have been victims themselves. TICKETS ONLY $12 And the children caught in the middle – 4596 Christchurch children in the past year alone. Detective Senior Sergeant Cottam said most perpetrators he dealt with had been victims in their past. Many children exposed to violence could grow up to continue it, unless something was done, he said. So how do you change a cycle? It was almost exactly a year ago, on July 4, the Integrated Safety Response programme was started as a pilot in Christchurch, Selwyn and the Waimakariri districts. <strong>The</strong>re were three things it aimed to do differently. <strong>The</strong> first was helping families experiencing violence with the other needs and problems they were facing – like housing, finding a job, or something as simple as getting a driver’s licence. CHRISTCHURCH Boat, Motorhome & Caravan Show Horncastle Arena 7-8-9 July <strong>2017</strong> www.boatmotorhomeshow.co.nz That could remove some of the stress the family was under, making it easier for them to focus on addressing the violence and making difficult decisions around it. It could also build trust, as the families realised the police and agencies working with them were genuinely there to help, he said. <strong>The</strong> second was that they worked with the whole family – both victims and perpetrators – to help them change and develop strategies to stop the problems. <strong>The</strong> third was bringing all the services and agencies working with families together to work as a team. Every morning at 10.30, people from each agency involved gather at the police station for a ‘safety assessment’ meeting – they call it SAM – to discuss things that have come up over Greg Cottam Leanne McSkimming the past 24 hours. As well as police, the meetings included Ministry for Vulnerable Children, health, corrections and iwi representatives, while family violence services and several other Government departments were also involved in the network. For each incident, any future risk to the victims would be discussed, and a lead agency would be assigned to work with the family. <strong>The</strong>re would usually be about 25 cases to discuss, so the meetings could sometimes take several hours, he said. With everyone there at the meeting, they could share any information relevant to the case 379-3589 379-3589 Family violence numbers •9125 family violence episodes have been recorded in Christchurch in the past year •3779 of those were violence between partners •2413 were violence between ex-partners •1751 were violence between parent and child •430 were violence between siblings •4596 Christchurch children have been involved in an episode in the past year •1574 of those children have been involved in more than one episode – like truancy records, previous convictions, a lot of previous injuries that might point to a history of violence, or work that an agency had done with the family in the past. He said people’s privacy was carefully weighed against the ultimate goal: To save lives and prevent serious harm. “It could be that someone was caught shoplifting food for their family, and that could be relevant. But if it’s not, that won’t be shared,” he said. “It’s particularly relevant in child abuse cases, because the child doesn’t have a voice.” Integrated Safety Response executive manager Leanne McSkimming said the help families needed could vary a lot. While some needed to go to a safe house, others refused to leave or were better off at home, so the goal was then to find ways to keep them safe there, she said. Some wanted to leave relationships, and others did not. “I’ve seen a lot of our high-risk victims immediately go back to the perpetrator,” she said. That was often because a couple had children together, or because they saw the things done to them as normal, she said. • Turn to page 12 Heat Pump Specials Heat Pump Specials GE35 4kW Heat Pump from only $2,<strong>29</strong>9 WINTER GE35 4kW Heat Pump from only $2,<strong>29</strong>9 GE50 HEAT 5.8kW Heat PUMP Pump SPECIALS from only $2,749 GE50 Phone 5.8kW now Heat for Pump prompt from only expert $2,749 FH50 6.0kW advice Heat and Pump installation from only $3,499 FH50 6.0kW Heat Pump from only $3,499 (we can install the same week) Technology Technology INCLUDES INSTALLATION. CONDITIONS APPLY. INCLUDES INSTALLATION. CONDITIONS APPLY. Serving Canterbury for 33 years 196 Wordsworth Street, 196 Wordsworth Street, www.snowtemp.co.nz Christchurch www.snowtemp.co.nz Christchurch Heat Pump Installation/Repairs • Refrigeration Design, Build, Repairs Heat Pump Installation/Repairs Refrigeration Design, Build, Repairs
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi Thursday <strong>June</strong> <strong>29</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 11 manufacturers clearance 5000 metres of slightly imperfect stock to clear LIMITED STOCK LIMITED STOCK SOLD Brookhaven $69.90 Brookhaven $69.90 Brookhaven $69.90 Brookhaven $69.90 Calisto $35 Berber Vouge $60 Riviera 1st grade $75 Canyon Ridge $69.90 Capricorn $60 York Street $79.90 SOLD Horizon Sea Fog $85 Madison $65 Carters Ville $79.90 Riviera $75 Bayside Twist $79.90 LIMITED STOCK LIMITED STOCK 3 COLOURS Ashwood $69.90 Columbia $79.90 Ashwood $69.90 Action $60 Brookhaven $60 LIMITED STOCK Action Pampas $60 Alpacco Rig $69.90 Aquarius Town $35 Ashwood $69.90 Canyon Ridge $69.90 Call for our mobile showroom to visit your home 312 Wilsons Road North, Waltham Phone 366 0070 www.carpetkingdom.co.nz | Mon - Fri 8am - 5pm | Sat 10am -1pm Q Card Finance Now Available FREE no obligation measure & quote (conditions apply.)