CoP: Domestic violence cause of half of murders of women

Almost half of the women killed in Trinidad and Tobago so far in 2020 were killed through domestic violence.

Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith shared this at a press conferenceat the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain on Tuesday.

Griffith said 46 women were killed this year and 21, or 45 per cent, were killed in domestic-violence situations.

He said in each of the 21 cases, nothing was reported to the police by people who might have been aware of the victim’s circumstances.

“In the 21 cases of females killed via domestic violence, not one neighbour, not one relative, not one friend, not one employee of any of those 21, ever came forward to give information and report it to the police.

“So when it is that we blame the police service, I ask some of us, we need to really look in the mirror and understand our own responsibility as a citizen of this great country. Because we are not mindreaders as police officers."

He said people who are aware of women being abused physically, mentally and psychologically, and refuse to report that abuse, have “shirked their responsibility as a law-abiding citizen.

“We only have 8,000 police officers, but we have 1.4 million pairs of eyes and ears of law-abiding citizens in this country. If we want to put an end to this (domestic violence), I am asking the public to open, embrace and work with the police service.

“Give us the information to help us to help you. If you see something, say something.”

He said in many instances, after the victims have died, people come forward and claimed the police were told, but he said his reports showed that was not true.