Write a commentPolice in E District (Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon and Newry and Mourne), have launched new online information pages to help signpost victims of domestic abuse. The Website Link is Here
To make it easier and safer for victims to browse these pages, PSNI have incorporated a red ‘panic’ button which will take the browser directly out of the page and to an innocuous webpage so that their search cannot be identified. Instructions on how to erase your browsing history have also been included.
Inspector David Hutchinson, E District Public Protection Unit, explained: “The District has been working very hard over a number of years in tackling Domestic Abuse and supporting victims. There is a real commitment to assisting victims, reducing offending and bringing perpetrators to justice. We have been working with our partner agencies for a long time to find new ways of helping victims and encouraging people to come forward and seek help. It was evident from discussions with our Domestic Abuse Officers and other agencies that information is crucial and providing details of how a victim can get help could be the first step in helping someone out of a situation they do not want to be in.
“With this in mind we set about creating web pages which would provide information on what constitutes abuse, how victims can get help and how friends and family can help people they believe to be victims. We recognised that someone who is suffering abuse may be afraid to look for help online or may not have the freedom to browse uninterrupted so we came up with the idea of the ‘panic’ button.
“Our intention is that anyone who has the opportunity to look for information will be able to exit the site immediately if they are interrupted. The erase browsing instruction offers further protection and means that, should anyone check, there will be no history of the sites you have visited.”
The new information centre was launched on 10th June and has received positive feedback from service users who gave the new system a test drive.
One service user said: “As a survivor of domestic abuse I welcome this resource as a step towards educating victims, families and society about this complex issue which is often misunderstood. I hope that victims viewing this website will be more likely to take the courageous step to seek help.”
Councillor Moffett, Chair of Newry and Mourne Policing and Community Safety Partnership said: "I really support the development of the web pages to provide information to victims of domestic abuse, and family members who are trying to help them. I would encourage any victim of domestic abuse to seek help and not suffer alone"
Speaking at the launch of Safe Place in Newry on 25 June, where the new pages were on display, CEO of Women’s Aid Armagh Down, Eileen Murphy, gave her support to the initiative and remarked: ”This is a really great development by the PSNI and I would like to congratulate them on their planning and consideration. They have worked closely with support agencies and victims to ensure this resource is effective to reduce risk and increase safety for victims. As the local support agency for women, children and young people we are very pleased to lend our support to this development. ”
Service Delivery Superintendent for E District, Simon Walls added: “No one has to suffer abuse. We are here to help, to provide support and to ensure that those who abuse are made amenable for their actions. We are continually working with our partners to find more ways of helping those who are abused and more ways of helping victims to escape the cycle they sometimes find themselves in. If these web pages encourage even one victim to seek help then they are a success.”
The Southern Area Domestic Violence Partnership hopes in the future to bring together a shared website where all statutory and support agencies can provide information, support and direction to all victims of abuse.
David Douglas, Assistant Director of Family Support and Safeguarding at the Southern Health Trust and Chair of the Partnership, said: “The information on the E District webpage is a very welcome development for the victims of domestic abuse. We also work with a number of statutory, voluntary and community organisations which do invaluable work in the support of victims of domestic abuse. We are committed to working with the PSNI to bring together information from all Partnership members including Education, Probation Board, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Women’s Aid, voluntary and community agencies, and health and social care services.”
