‘Ban suspected abusers from their own homes’

• Islanders suspected of domestic abuse could be banned from entering their homes for up to 28 days.
• Home Affairs Minister unveiled plans to follow in the footsteps of the UK and introduce Domestic Violence Protection Orders.
• Do you think Domestic Violence Protection Orders should be introduced in Jersey? – take part in our poll below

ISLANDERS suspected of domestic abuse could be banned from entering their own homes for up to 28 days under new plans being proposed by the Home Affairs Minister.

Domestic violence accounts for 39 per cent of recorded crimes against a person in Jersey and the number of reports made each year to police has increased by nearly 150 since 2009.

Deputy Kristina Moore now says that the issue is so serious in Jersey that Islanders are safer on the streets than in their own homes.

Speaking at a Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel meeting, Deputy Moore, who was facing the panel for the first time, unveiled plans to follow in the footsteps of the UK and introduce Domestic Violence Protection Orders.

The restriction, which would be issued by the Magistrate following a notice from police if they suspect someone is in immediate danger, would prevent a person suspected of domestic violence from returning to the property where their partner lives for 14 to 28 days.

If they share the home they would have to seek accommodation elsewhere and anyone breaching the order could be jailed for up to two months or fined up to £5,000.

Last year alone there were 408 domestic violence offences reported to police but only 170 reached court.

And the minister also announced that her department was looking into commissioning research to find the true scale of violence suffered by women and children in the Island which may not necessarily be reported. Deputy Moore said the research, which she hopes can be funded by a charity, would be wide-reaching.

On the topic of Domestic Violence Protection Orders, Deputy Moore said: ‘I am keen to push it.

‘There is not a timescale at the moment unfortunately but it is something I am really keen to push on with.

Domestic Violence Protection Orders were introduced in the UK in 2014 alongside Claire’s Law – which allows people to find out if their partner has a history of violence.

‘It seems that we live in a very safe environment but people are less safe in their own homes than they are on the streets,’ Deputy Moore added.

• On 25 November 2013 – the UN Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women – the UK Home Office announced its intention roll-out two initiatives to tackle domestic violence and abuse across police forces in England and Wales from March 2014
• Those two initiatives were the introduction of Clare’s Law (the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme) and Domestic Violence Protection Orders
• Claire’s Law was introduced after Briton Clare Wood was murdered by her former partner in Greater Manchester in 2009. It brought attention to the issue of disclosing information about an individual’s history of domestic violence to a new partners.
• Both Clare’s Law and Domestic Violence Protection Orders were introduced in the UK in March 2014.
• Clare’s Law was introduced in Jersey on 1 April and as of 1 February there had been three disclosures of information.
• Domestic Violence Protection Orders, which are not currently available in Jersey, can be issued where there is insufficient evidence to charge a perpetrator and provide protection to a victim via bail conditions.
• A Domestic Violence Protection Order can prevent the alleged perpetrator from returning to a residence and from having contact with the alleged victim for up to 28 days, allowing them some time to consider their options, with the help of a support agencies.
• If the order is broken an alleged-perpetrator can be fined £5,000 or sent to prison for two months.