Domestic violence is harmful and potentially fatal not only to individuals directly targeted by their abusers, but also to a victim's family members and friends, good Samaritans, counselors, coworkers, police officers, and everyone else exposed to it.
This month, for example, a father of three in Melbourne, Australia, was gunned down while trying to intervene in a domestic dispute. A second man who intervened and the female victim who was being dragged by her hair from a car were also shot by the male perpetrator.
A police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was also injured and nearly pushed from a second floor balcony during a struggle with a domestic violence suspect earlier this month.
That's why it is common for two or more police officers to respond and approach domestic calls with caution. They hope doing so will help decrease the risk to police officers in these unpredictable situations.
"We never know what we're going to," said one police officer. "A simple check person call could turn into a person with a gun that could turn into a deadly force situation."
Not only can good Samaritans and others get killed while intervening in domestic disputes, they themselves can also seriously injure or kill someone and possibly face criminal charges, as a result.
All this has me wondering why two subway security guards in Montreal, Quebec, are under fire for not attempting to stop a man from attacking a woman who appeared to be his partner.
The incident occurred the same day Montreal police announced that its officers would be taking over patrolling the increasingly violent subway system.
According to news reports, the union representing subway security guards said the guards had no choice but to stand aside as the man assaulted his partner because police had ordered them to stop intervening in violent incidents.
"This shows how absurd this new arrangement is," union president Josée Massicotte told Radio-Canada, "because in regular circumstances, metro guards would have acted right away."
However, just as it did not make sense to allow unarmed security guards who have no power to make arrests to patrol the very problematic public system, it does not make sense to expect the guards to put themselves in harm's way by attempting to quell potentially lethal incidents of intimate partner abuse.
Safety is the first priority, not only for victims of domestic violence, but also for those who witness it. This is why DV prevention experts and police consistently urge bystanders and even victims not to confront violent offenders.
A person who confronts an enraged batterer discovers that it's like trying to "reason with a ticking time bomb," noted an abused wife in Cincinnati, Ohio. And this is a deadly job only for law enforcement personnel and others with special training in violence intervention, domestic or otherwise.
"If you witness or hear a violent episode, do not try to intervene physically as this may result in injuries to you or others," cautions the Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center of Ohio. "Call 911 immediately. When the police arrive, cooperate, ask to fill out a statement, and prepare yourself to testify in court."
Moral crusading and public outrage notwithstanding, the security guards as well as other bystanders should always keep at safe distance, call the police, and wait for the situation to be handled by armed police officers trained to diffuse such a violent and volatile situation.
iAMrj * richard jones
This month, for example, a father of three in Melbourne, Australia, was gunned down while trying to intervene in a domestic dispute. A second man who intervened and the female victim who was being dragged by her hair from a car were also shot by the male perpetrator.
A police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was also injured and nearly pushed from a second floor balcony during a struggle with a domestic violence suspect earlier this month.
That's why it is common for two or more police officers to respond and approach domestic calls with caution. They hope doing so will help decrease the risk to police officers in these unpredictable situations.
"We never know what we're going to," said one police officer. "A simple check person call could turn into a person with a gun that could turn into a deadly force situation."
Not only can good Samaritans and others get killed while intervening in domestic disputes, they themselves can also seriously injure or kill someone and possibly face criminal charges, as a result.
All this has me wondering why two subway security guards in Montreal, Quebec, are under fire for not attempting to stop a man from attacking a woman who appeared to be his partner.
The incident occurred the same day Montreal police announced that its officers would be taking over patrolling the increasingly violent subway system.
According to news reports, the union representing subway security guards said the guards had no choice but to stand aside as the man assaulted his partner because police had ordered them to stop intervening in violent incidents.
"This shows how absurd this new arrangement is," union president Josée Massicotte told Radio-Canada, "because in regular circumstances, metro guards would have acted right away."
However, just as it did not make sense to allow unarmed security guards who have no power to make arrests to patrol the very problematic public system, it does not make sense to expect the guards to put themselves in harm's way by attempting to quell potentially lethal incidents of intimate partner abuse.
Safety is the first priority, not only for victims of domestic violence, but also for those who witness it. This is why DV prevention experts and police consistently urge bystanders and even victims not to confront violent offenders.
A person who confronts an enraged batterer discovers that it's like trying to "reason with a ticking time bomb," noted an abused wife in Cincinnati, Ohio. And this is a deadly job only for law enforcement personnel and others with special training in violence intervention, domestic or otherwise.
"If you witness or hear a violent episode, do not try to intervene physically as this may result in injuries to you or others," cautions the Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center of Ohio. "Call 911 immediately. When the police arrive, cooperate, ask to fill out a statement, and prepare yourself to testify in court."
Moral crusading and public outrage notwithstanding, the security guards as well as other bystanders should always keep at safe distance, call the police, and wait for the situation to be handled by armed police officers trained to diffuse such a violent and volatile situation.
iAMrj * richard jones
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2 comments:
The fact is that while Montreal's subway security do not carry guns they are equipped with side handle batons, body armour, some carry CS spray and all carry handcuffs. While they do not have full power of arrest they can detain a suspect until the police arrive and judging by this story it seems that they would have been able, under Canada's criminal code to make a citizens arrest. If the incident had happened the day before the guards, who are not the standard contract guards but who are trained and payed to almost the same level as Montreal police, would have acted and the suspect would have been taken into custody as it stands a woman was beaten while guards looked on and both her and her attacker were able to escape. As a Montrealer it makes me ashamed that these guards did not act not only because of their jobs but as human beings.
Very interesting article and valid points stated.
Being a woman and living in Montreal I can only speak for myself. But, feel that some of the uproar that taking place about this issue in Montreal for woman is fear.
I think most women think of this situation in a general sense, not necessarily a domestic dispute, but perhaps just some man, any man deciding he wants our purse, our jewelry or even our bodies and the thought of people just standing by and watching this terrorizes us. As women we most definitely personalize the situation and think what would happen if that was me. I am sure there is not a woman on earth, who would think, "you guys just all stand back the cops should be here in about 10 minutes”. Meaning, we would like to know that if somebody started to hurt us, somebody would offer to help.
Furthermore, being single and finding myself going most places alone that thought is even magnified. I guess perhaps we have a false sense of security and wish or even need to believe, that all will be alright, because that security guard will help me if this man standing besides me decides he is going to act up. So although on a logical level I agree with what you are saying on a personal level it is not very comforting at all.
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