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Just three in 10 domestic violence cases make it to court

Just three in 10 domestic violence cases make it to the courtroom
Just three in 10 domestic violence cases make it to the courtroom Just three in 10 domestic violence cases make it to the courtroom

JUST three in 10 domestic violence cases make it to the courtroom, a senior PSNI officer has revealed.

Police, prosecutors and support charities are meeting over three days in an effort to improve their help for victims of domestic violence.

More than 50 delegates are gathering at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast city centre yesterday for the first Justice Institute on Gender-Based Violence to be held in the UK.

Among those attending will include international experts who will share "knowledge and experience" as the programme seeks to "provide the tools for participants to identify, investigate, and better prosecute gender-based violent crimes".

The PSNI respond to a domestic violence incident every 18 minutes, with a quarter of all murders in 2016/17 relating to "domestic issues".

Meanwhile, domestic violence is at a 10-year high.

At the opening yesterday, Detective Superintendent Ryan Henderson said the "big challenge" for the service is that "perpetrators only see a courtroom in three out of 10 cases".

Ciaran McQuillan, Acting Senior Assistant Director of the Public Prosecution Service said domestic violence "is a complicated and often very emotional issue" and "one that needs change and a real focus to both tackle the crime, but also ensure that perpetrators continue to be brought to justice".

"We are increasingly being given the tools to prosecute gender-based violence cases, like bodyworn cameras," he told the conference.

Geraldine O'Hare of the Probation Board of Northern Ireland warned that "once we get to courts the harm has been done to victims".

"Prevention and early intervention is key and problem-solving justice and courts is the way forward," she added.

The event is being run by Washington-based Vital Voices Global Partnership and the US Department of State.