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Domestic violence Operation Faoiseamh 'not going away' as restrictions end

The Garda domestic violence operation introduced at the start of the pandemic is “not going away”.
Michael Staines
Michael Staines

11.21 24 Jan 2022


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Domestic violence Operation Fa...

Domestic violence Operation Faoiseamh 'not going away' as restrictions end

Michael Staines
Michael Staines

11.21 24 Jan 2022


Share this article


The Garda domestic violence operation introduced at the start of the pandemic is “not going away” despite the lifting of restrictions over the weekend.

Operation Faoiseamh was launched in April 2020 to support survivors of domestic violence as lockdown restrictions were introduced.

Figures released this morning show Gardaí responded to more than 48,000 domestic abuse incidents last year – a 10% increase on 2020.

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Gardaí also preferred more than 8,600 criminal charges for crimes involving an element of domestic abuse last year – up 13% on the year before.

Operation Faoiseamh

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Detective Chief Superintendent Colm Noonan of the Garda National Protective Service Bureau said members will always be ready to support survivors.

“The operation is not going away,” he said. “We have the national bureau and we have, in every division across Ireland across An Garda Síochána, we have divisional protective services units. They are specialised, trained people who are there to assist.

“They will take on investigations and they will assist victims. We have 392 members of An Garda Síochána attached to those units full-time.

“They are supporting front-line and they are supporting detective units. So, we haven’t gone away and we will never go away. We are still here to listen, we are still here to protect and we are still here to reassure and support victims.

“We will, I can assure you, rigorously prosecute where we can.”

Domestic Violence

He said the figures highlight a clear increase in domestic violence reports as well as charges.

“Really we believe this is because domestic violence is slowly becoming something that is no longer behind closed doors,” he said.

“The attitude to these incidents across society has created an environment where victims now have the confidence to seek assistance and support and ultimately, the prosecution that is available to them within the legislation.

“AGS have made distinct and very progressive developments in how we resource and effectively and professionally investigate those types of incidents.”

Response

Chief Superintendent Noonan said the length of time it takes to bring charges can vary depending on how serious the allegations are.

“The message from An Garda Síochána is that, if you are a victim of domestic violence, if you are under threat or if you know someone who is, we are there to help, we are here to listen and then to bring ultimately, if we can, cases before the courts,” he said.

He said Gardaí are constantly monitoring response times to domestic violence calls and aim to contact all complainants within a week.


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