Reported domestic violence cases rise

A stark rise in domestic violence cases has The Barbados Police Service (TBPS) distressed.

Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce reported a 21 per cent increase in reported domestic violence cases on Wednesday, March 13, at the TBPS Annual Grand Conference held at Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

During his delivery of 2023 Year in Review, the island’s police chief disclosed that 572 cases were reported in 2023, an increase to the 471 cases reported in 2022.

“The most prevalent acts of domestic violence fell into the categories of assaults and woundings, which translated into 55 per cent of the total number of domestic violence cases,” Boyce revealed.

He noted that despite police intervention efforts, the numbers still need to decrease.

“The intent of the law seeks to make greater provision for the safety of victims of domestic violence and to hold perpetrators of domestic violence accountable for their actions. Despite the intervention of the police to address these cases, there is no evidence to suggest that any abatement of these complaints has been borne out,” the police chief indicated based on current TBPS statistics.

Boyce expressed that the TBPS sought to stem this violence and was working with several social agencies to re-examine their methods of intervention.