The police patrols and children experiencing domestic violence

Abstract

Using data from a study on police officers’ encounters with domestic violence victims and a study on children experiencing domestic violence, this article examines how officers decide whether and how to communicate with children in emergency situations, and how children experience these encounters. Officers’ views on such communication diverge; usually, communication is motivated by the need to determine next actions. Children recall little communication and describe officers as faceless, nameless and genderless. The authors argue for recognizing the preventive role of officers on emergency calls. Official policies and guidelines should formally acknowledge and clarify the importance of communication with children.

Keywords:

• children experiencing domestic violence
• police
• prevention
• emergency call
• response

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. In August 2010, the Supreme Court heard an appeal from a man convicted in multiple cases of domestic violence (Lovdata Database, 2012). The primary basis for appeal was the application of the law in his conviction for abusing his daughter, as she had witnessed his abuse of her mother in various ways. The question was whether this could also be affected by the new design of Penal Code § 219, which is intended to better capture the complexity and totality of domestic violence. The judges agreed that violence against the mother in fact also constituted a criminal act against the child, and the appeal was therefore dismissed.

2. Such a procedure is laid down in the Police Act § 13 of ‘intervention to children’. This provision states that the police can take care of children who are in situations which clearly involves a serious risk to their health or development.

3. In Sweden and Norway, children who experience domestic violence are recognized by law as victims of a crime, by being granted the right to crime victim compensation from the state.