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Download AudioDeputy Police Commissioner Wally Haumaha says bringing family harm incidents within the scope of Te Pae Oranga community panels has the potential to greatly reduce harm to victims.
The new pilot programme, Tiaki Whanau, was launched at Nga Whare Waatea Marae yesterday.
He says Te Pae Oranga has been running successfully since 2014, allowing panels of community members to consider cases, determine sanctions and look for outcomes that make the offender accountable while also considering the needs of the victim.
He says police are called to more than 175,000 domestic incidents a year, and what’s often important in those cases is the preventive element.
“How do we protect women and children inside households? And if I look at the number of victimisations of Maori women, particularly where we launched in south Auckland yesterday, it’s horrific. And also the number of children that witness domestic violence. It’s incumbent on us as responsible people and for Maori who has taken ownership of these issues,” Mr Haumaha says.
Tiaki Whanau will be trialled at six centres from Taitokerau to Dunedin.
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