2024-04-09 10:36:36
Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis provided “empathy” instructions and additions to the protocol for managing incidents of domestic violence to more than 2,500 officers of the Hellenic Police, after the tragic incident of the murder of 28-year-old Kyriaki by her ex-partner outside the Police Station of Agioi Anargyro
The mistakes of the police officers, who handled the girl’s case, are obvious and the questions that were created, even more.
In the teleconference, it was noted that for each complaint, the special guide for handling incidents of domestic violence, which has been in place since 2021 and which was codified in a simple format and enriched with adaptations to the new legislative changes on domestic violence, should be used.
At the same time, it was emphasized that every victim should receive every support with empathy, while four key additions to the management of domestic violence incidents were presented.
In principle, the central monitoring and supervision of all complaints and incidents at the level of the Police Directorate with the appointment of a senior officer as supervisor, while every week a report on the complaints and their management by Police Directorate will be sent to the Domestic Violence Staff Department of the Hellenic Police Headquarters , so that there is monitoring and accountability.
Also, for each incident the Service Officer will inform the Commander of the Department and the supervisor of the Police Department to support him in the management of the incident. Finally, for each victim, safe transportation and accommodation in a safe place is ensured until the danger to his life disappears. It is worth noting that by the end of May, 45 new Offices for Dealing with Domestic Violence will have been created throughout Greece and the use of the panic button will be expanded nationwide.
“The citizen wants and should feel safe when he comes to us. In every incident of domestic violence, we are obliged to do everything possible so that the woman feels safe and we are sure before she leaves, that she will continue to be safe,” says the instruction sent to all police stations.
The responsibilities of the police officers, who managed the incident, are at the center of the prosecutor’s investigation that has begun, however, they are not the only ones, as the Police unionists emphasize, repeating the need for restructuring in order for the police departments to work with a sufficient number of police officers, something that does not happen, as they complain, especially in Attica.
Emphasizing that the issue of domestic violence is social and should not concern only the police, the president of the Union of Police Officers of the Prefecture of Ioannina, Akis Konstantinidis, recognized the responsibilities and omissions of his colleagues, the degree and circumstances of which should be investigated with calm and not under the climate of finding “expiation victims”, as he mentioned.
And this is because there are perennial problems, which all these years have been “hiding under the carpet”, first of all the understaffing, due to the transfer of police officers from the departments to other services. “If we only focus on one purpose or one service officer, we will see similar incidents in the future,” noted Mr. Konstantinidis.
Asked about the training of police officers at all levels, Mr. Konstantinidis noted that there are shortcomings, stressing that these issues cannot be resolved through communication methods.