Domestic Violence
The Law on Domestic Violence
Domestic and family violence may be a crime. It's defined within the Crimes (Domestic and private Violence) Act 2007.
It's a crime that always goes unreported to police and may be too complex for the police to supply an efficient response to.
Domestic and family violence may be a crime that takes many forms.
It involves an abuse of power, mainly perpetrated by men in an intimate partner relationship or after separating from the connection . It extends beyond physical violence and should involve the exploitation of power imbalances and patterns of abuse.
Some samples of domestic and family violence crimes are:
- physical assault (punching, hitting, kicking, pushing, throwing things at a person)
- stalking
- unwanted sex or sexual acts
- breaking ADVOs - Apprehended violence Orders (sometimes called AVOs or restraining orders)
- making some sort of threat
Police will answer all reports of domestic and family violence. Officers are committed to using all lawful means to police this crime, including:
- removing offenders from the victim's location (victim safety may be a priority)
- taking out an Apprehended violence Order (ADVO) on behalf of victims and any children living or spending time with the victim (whether they're by consent or not)
- investigating breaches of ADVOs
- developing solutions to managing repeat offenders
More Information
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