Training helps police officers fight FSV crimes

POLICE officers in provincial areas are providing increasingly effective service for survivors of family and sexual violence (FSV) under the training and guidance of senior colleagues.
According to a statement from the Australian High Commission earlier this year, the senior family and sexual violence unit (FSVU) police officers attended training on responding to complaints of family and sexual violence.
The training increased awareness of challenges faced by survivors, the manipulation and control tactics used by offenders and how police should respond.
Following the training, senior FSVU officers, including Senior Constable Joyce Nii, from the Banz Police Station, Constable Newman Limbao, of the Chinatown FSVU in Lae, Sergeant Betty Kanari, of the Popondetta FSVU, Senior Sergeant Ruth Murup from Morobe and Sergeant Judy Girua of the Goroka FSVU, travelled to the Highlands to mentor local FSVU staff.
This innovative RPNGC training and mentoring programme, supported by the PNG-Australia partnership, has had an immediate impact on the ability of local FSVU police to investigate and respond to FSV complaints and support survivors.
Since the training, participants have been putting what they learnt in action with practical results.
Nii drew on what she learned at the training to successfully execute her first arrest for family violence.
The perpetrator was subsequently found guilty and placed on a three-year good behaviour bond.
Additionally, in a single day in May, officers from the local FSVU in Kundiawa responded to eight complaints, four of them involving allegations of FSV.
Supported by mentoring from the senior officers, the FSVU officers took statements and provided referrals to the nearby Family Support Centre for further support.
Further, Murup mentored officers in both Minj and Banz to better support survivors.
Murup said that FSVU officers at Minj and Banz were incorporating improved practices in their work, including filling out daily intake forms, following up on cases and establishing links with external support organisations like Voices for Change (a women’s human rights organisation).
“Two members from Minj (FSVU) are new and learning,” she said.
“After attending the training, Constable Rose Philip managed to issue her first interim protection order with help from the mentors, providing immediate protection and support to the survivor.”
The Australian government has provided sustained support for the professional development of senior FSVU officers.