Domestic violence calls increase, new police units kept busy

A total of 395 complaints have been handled since September by new police domestic violence units, the force announced on Tuesday as a domestic violence NGO said its helpline receives about six calls a day.

In 2020, a total of 2,147 people called the association for the prevention and handling of violence in the family Spavo’s 1440 helpline for domestic violence, as opposed to 1,384 in 2019, scientific director Andri Andronikou told state broadcaster CyBC.

“This number corresponds to six incidents per day,” Andronikou said, adding that serious incidents of injury and even death threats have increased by 40 per cent.

The association said that lockdown and other restrictive measures imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 have increased the dangers associated with domestic violence, as well as the frequency and intensity of incidents.

In just the first two weeks of the first lockdown in March 2020, Spavo recorded a 30 per cent increase in calls to the helpline.

Recent events like the murders in Ergates point towards a need for a stronger support system for victims of domestic abuse and family violence in general.

In the past few months the police have launched units in all districts tasked with investigating domestic violence cases.

They started operations on September 1 in Limassol, November 23 in Nicosia and February 15 in Larnaca, Famagusta and Paphos.

The new units are staffed with 49 qualified officers selected according to their training and experience with similar cases, spokesman Christos Andreou told the Cyprus News Agency.

Since they launched, the 395 complaints relating to domestic violence concern 236 incidents in Nicosia, 135 in Limassol, 13 in Larnaca, three in Famagusta and eight in Paphos.

So far 142 arrests have been made, with four convictions in Limassol.

Spavo’s 1440 helpline is free of charge and accessible 24 hours a day.

Victims can also contact the police by using the Citizens’ Communication Line at 1460.