Sometimes people ask me, "What is the one thing that would make the biggest difference to making our communities safer?" My answer is always the same. Reduce family violence.
Some people are surprised by this response, but a large proportion of the crime problems we deal with can be traced back to family violence. Consider the facts. Half of the homicides that occur in New Zealand each year are the result of family violence. Fifteen per cent of women in Women's Refuges have a permanent disability and 4 per cent can no longer have children as a result of family violence.
Family violence victims are five times more likely to require psychiatric services.
Our children are also at risk. Every year 10 New Zealand children are killed as a result of family violence.
One in seven New Zealand women have been assaulted by their partner, but the impact doesn't end there. Children who are routinely exposed to violence when growing up are 66 times more likely to engage in criminal behaviour when teenagers. The most common manifestation among teenage boys is burglary - the crime that 85 per cent of New Zealanders are most worried about being the victim of. It's all connected.
Rotorua police officers attend, on average, seven family violence incidents a day. That's 49 a week. Some weeks it's more.
The statistics are sobering. Even more so when you start reflecting on all of the heartache, grief and brokenness that forms the back-story to those numbers. Almost 10 years ago the Rotorua District Council asked the Rotorua community what it saw as the priorities for our city. The empathic response - well above all the other suggested options - was "safe and caring community." Subsequent surveys have shown the sentiment of the community has not changed. When you consider all the facts outlined above, it becomes apparent that if we could stop the violence going on among families, we would have a much safer and much healthier community.
So what are we to do? Saying "no" is a good start. Family violence is classic bullying behaviour, and bullies don't stop until someone stands up to them. We need people to have the courage to say "no", and mean it. "No, I am not going to put up with the hitting anymore." Or, "no, I'm not going to turn a blind eye to what I know is going on next door." We also need people who are willing to say to those who offend - "It's okay to ask for help."
You can learn more by going to www.areyouok.org.nz. If you need help, or know someone who does, call your local police station and ask to speak to someone on the family violence team; or call Women's Refuge on (07) 349 0852 or Family Focus on (07) 346 2096.
Inspector Bruce Horne is the Rotorua police area commander.