Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
He pati moata mō te hunga hara ā-whānau me ngā Tauākī Ataata a Ngā Pārurenga
Nō te tau 2017, kua whakamahia ngā Tauākī Ataata a Ngā Pārurenga mō ngā kēhi hara ā-whānau, engari, kua whakapuakitia e tētahi arotake hou, kua whakaputa i te Hautaka mō Ngā Tūkinotanga Matawhaiaro, te whānui o ngā hua kua puta, kia tāparatia te tūpono ki tētahi pati moata i te kōti.
(https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/08862605211055083)
E hiamo katoa ana a Kaitirotiro Ross Ellwood ki ngā hua i puta mai o te whakamahinga a ngā Tauākī Ataata a Ngā Pārurenga i āna mahi ia rā.
Hei tā Ross, Te Toihau Rīwhi o te Rohe o Counties Manukau, “Ehara i te mea ka mau moata noa i te hunga hara – engari ka whakaiti nei i te wā kei te wāhi hara te pārurenga me te pirihimana. I ngā wā o mua, ka whaiwhakaarotia ngā tauākī ā-tuhi, ā, he hātepe roa tērā. Inaianei, he ataata ka whakaahua ki tētahi waka pirihimana, ki te whare o te pārurenga rānei.”
“Mā te whakamahi i ā mātou mīhini waea matawhaiaro, e āhei ana mātou te whakaahua i te ataata hei taunakitanga kia tuku atu ki tētahi kōnae marutau – , ā, he tere ake i ngā tauākī ā-tuhi. He mea whakapai ake i te wā mō te katoa, otirā mō ngā whānau.”
He mea whakapai ake hoki i te wā mō ngā hātepe o te kōti, ā, kāore ōna here e hoatu ana taunakitanga – kua whakaaetia ā rātou ataata, ā, kāore rātou e mate ki te tōai anō i ngā kōrero.
Hei tā Sergeant Selina Gordon, tētahi kairuruku Tauākī Atataata a Ngā Pārurenga ki te Rohe o Te Hiku-o-te-ika, “Ko te painga o ngā Tauāki Ataata a Ngā Pārurenga, he mea whakakaha i te pārurenga kia hoatu i tana tauākī ki te wāhi e tika ana, ahakoa te wā, rā mai, pō mai rānei.”
He poto iho te hātepe i tērā o te tuku tauākī ā-tuhi, kāore rātou e māharahara ki te kimi whare kōhungahunga, ki te tiki i ā rātou tamariki mai i te moenga i waenganui pō kia haere ki te teihana nō te pārurenga e tuku tauākī ana.”
Hei tā Pirihimana Laura Blummont, Kairuruku Mahi Hara Ā-whānau nō Heretaunga, “He rauemi pai tēnei e tutuki pai ai te kapo i te kaha o ngā mahi hara. Kāore i te pērā rawa te mana o ngā tauākī ā-tuhi. He mea pai kia kore ai te pārurenga e whakapau wā me te pūrongorongo anō i te hara. Kei reira katoa au kia hanga māmā ake mō ā mātou pārurenga.”
I mātātaki a Ahorangi Tūhono Darren Walton o Te Rōpū Rangahau o Crow’s Nest i ngā Pirihimana e whakamārama ana i ngā hua o te rangahau ki ngā pārurenga. “I whakatakoto kupu āwhina ngā Pirihimana ki ngā pārurenga kei ngā wāhi hara ā-whānau nā ngā Tauāki Ataata a Ngā Pārurenga ka tere ake tētahi pati moata, ā, kāore e kore ka ārai i a rātou ki ngā raru anō i te kōti.
“Ka mātāmua a Aotearoa i te ao katoa mō te whakamahi i ngā tauākī hopu-matihiko a ngā pārurenga me te pai ake o ēnei taunakitanga, whakarato i ngā taipitopito pai ake me ngā kōrero a ngā pārurenga.
He tapanga mō ngā whakaahua:
- Tāriana Selina Gordon, Ngā Pirihimana o Te Hiku-o-te-ika
- Constable Laura Blummont, Ngā Pirihimana o Te Rāwhiti
- Ahorangi Tūhono Darren Walton o Te Rōpū Rangahau o Crow’s Nest KA MUTU
Early guilty pleas for family harm offenders with Victim Video Statements
Victim Video Statements have been in use for family harm cases since 2017, but a recent evaluation, published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, has revealed the huge success the initiative has been, nearly doubling the likelihood of an earlier guilty plea in court. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/08862605211055083)
Inspector Ross Ellwood is thrilled with the result after using Victim Video Statements (VVS) in his daily work.
Ross, currently the Acting Area Commander for Counties Manukau says, “It not only holds the offenders to account a lot earlier – it saves the victim and the officer time at the scene. In the past, we took a written statement and that’s a lengthy process. Now it’s a video taken in the back of a patrol car or the victim’s house,” he says.
“By using our personal police mobility devices, we can capture the video for evidence and upload it to a secure server – it’s quicker than writing. It saves time for everyone, especially for the families,” he says.
“It also saves time on court process and the victim doesn’t have to give evidence in chief – their video is accepted, and they don’t have to recount their story again.”
Sergeant Selina Gordon a VVS coordinator in Northland District, says “I think one of the best things about VVS is it enables a victim to give their statement there and then, no matter the time of day or night.
The process is a lot shorter than giving a written statement, they don’t have to worry about child-care or getting their kids out of bed in the middle of the night to come to the station while the victim gives a statement.”
Constable Laura Blummont, Family Harm Intervention Coordinator from Hastings says “I think it’s a great tool that makes it so much easier to capture the intensity of the incidents. Written statements really don’t have the same effect. I feel that the victims don’t have to spend as much time relaying the incident. I’m all for making it easier for our victims,” she says.
Associate Professor Darren Walton of Crow’s Nest Research observed Police officers explaining the results of the research to victims. “Officers advised victims at family harm incidents that a VVS increases the likelihood of an early guilty plea and will likely spare them further ordeal in court.”
“New Zealand leads the world in offering digitally-recorded victim statements which are better evidence, provide greater detail and better accounts of victims’ experiences, he says.
Caption for photos:
- Sergeant Selina Gordon, Northland Police
- Constable Laura Blummont, Eastern Police
- Associate Professor Darren Walton of Crow’s Nest Research ENDS
