This article is from page 18 of the 2008-02-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
DOMESTIC violence incidents in Clare have increased substantially over the past two years – and gardai say much of it is linked to alcohol.
143 incidents of domestic violence were reported to gardai in Clare in 2006 and this figure increased sub- stantially last year.
This is a massive rise on the fig- ure of 90 incidents in 2005 and re- flects an overall national trend in this area.
The head of the Clare Garda Divi- sion said gardai are worried about the WKOIIXOD
“We are concerned about the rise. domestic violence is one of our ma- jor concerns and the traumatic effect
it has on individuals and on society as a whole,” said Chief Superintend- ent, Gerry Mahon.
He said that alcohol is a prevalent factor in domestic abuse.
“Certainly alcohol is an issue. We are finding that alcohol is an issue in many of those incidents. Drugs is a factor, but not an overriding factor. Alcohol would be the main factor,” he said.
“There are so many factors in it. Relationships and outside factors like work and other social stresses play a role,” he added.
He said people are more willing to report incidents of domestic violence now than they were in the past.
“We are taking a very proactive stance on domestic violence. Every
garda has received training on do- mestic violence,” he said.
“It 1s one of the priorities for the gardai going forward in 2008,” he Cre HLGm
A spokeswoman for Clare Haven, which provides support to female victims of domestic abuse, said the marked increase was no surprise.
‘There has been a huge increase in the number of helpline calls and new visits, while our outreach centres in Shannon, Scariff, Ennistymon and Kilrush have been extra busy,” said PR co-ordinator Eileen Murphy.
“2007 certainly was a busy year for Clare Haven,” she added.