Waiariki Women's Refuge manager Paula Coker. Photo / File
Waiariki Women's Refuge manager Paula Coker. Photo / File
Women being held "hostage for days", having "guns against their head" being forced to take drugs, being threatened and stalked.
Those are just some of the examples of domestic violence happening in Rotorua, according to a woman's refuge in the city.
And Rotorua Police, who attended more than 290 familyharm incidences over a 12-day period during Christmas and New Year, are urging people to report fears for their own or someone else's safety
Women's Refuge Waiariki manager Paula Coker said it wasn't "overly inundated" over the Christmas break but domestic violence never stopped as women continued to be held "hostage for days" or have "guns against their head".
"Being raped, being forced to take drugs, being threatened and being stalked. These are all of the behaviours and all of the things that are happening within our community."
However, she believed domestic violence victims were receiving a helping hand from the community this holiday season as the need for the refuge was low.
It's a double-edged sword explains Coker because while their services were not needed, the number of callouts had not necessarily decreased.
Rotorua police say on average they attend about 100 family harm incidents each week outside the Christmas period. For the first seven days of this year, they attended approximately 120 family harm incidents.
"The fact this is still occurring is not a good thing. I do know, based on the reports that I have seen, is the community seems to be doing their part," Coker said.
"When they say something or hear something, they are calling the police on behalf of."
Often people did not want to get involved for fear of repercussions, Coker said.
She believes it could be a lesson learned from Covid-19 - to be kind.
"Here's hoping our community is getting better and become loving and caring as an outcome of Covid."
The holiday season always fluctuates, Coker said, with it sometimes it being "off the charts" resulting in staff burning out.
"The thing is with domestic violence is it always fluctuates throughout the year. There are some events that can be seen to escalate the numbers, but it never stops. We are on call 24/7."
Coker said it has been an extremely busy year with the result of the lockdown and this year they were focused on staying positive to ensure the refuge could provide the best care.
Bay of Plenty District Prevention Manager Inspector Steve Bullock. Photo / File
District prevention manager Inspector Steve Bullock said the summer period could be challenging for some families.
"Sadly, while many of us look forward to it, for others this time of year only brings a sense of dread.
"Financial and family stress, often combined with the consumption of alcohol, can contribute to an increase in family harm incidents."
Police generally receive more calls to this type of incident over the holiday period, Bullock said.
Across the Rotorua District, police attended 297 family harm incidents between 7am on December 25 and 7am on January 5.
On average, Rotorua Police attend about 100 family harm incidents each week outside of the Christmas holiday period.
"Bay of Plenty police work actively with victims and partner agencies to ensure suitable support and safety plans are in place for families and individuals known or identified to be at risk," Bullock said.
"We also plan to make sure we have enough staff available for deployment at this time of the year, so they can respond to those who need help."
Bullock believed family violence remained a complicated issue that needed help from all angles.
"[It] can only be improved by all government, NGO's [non-government organisations], community and iwi groups working together to solve the often inherent social and historic issues that exist in our communities."
While Bullock reiterated that family violence was not okay, it was okay to ask for help and he encourages anyone who fears for their own or someone else's safety to dial 111.
