Domestic
violence blamed for rise in violent crime
http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk
Cheshire
online - 12th July 2005
THE Chief Constable of Cheshire has blamed the collapse of family
life for a big increase in crime levels.
Peter Fahy
said officers were having to deal with rocketing numbers of minor
incidents which were making Britain seem more violent than it really
was.
He accused
domestic violence victims of wasting police time for making allegations
of assaults, but then refusing to help with investigations.
But he warned
attacks would not be tolerated and he wanted to prosecute everyone
who assaulted their partner.
Mr Fahy
said: "We are being hit with a huge number of minor assaults,
like harassment, between people who are known to each other or are
in relationships.
"More
family breakdowns are turning into more domestic incidents. It's
people in fractured relationships or friends who go out drinking
together and then fall out.
"In
many cases the victim loses interest after the initial report and
officers spend considerable amounts of time attempting to contact
them It's not only hugely frustrating, it's a waste of our time.
We need to get a strong message out that it's not OK to have violence
in relationships and that where we can we will prosecute."
In April
and May this year there have been 465 allegations of harassment
in the county - more than double the 209 recorded in the same period
last year.
