A pilot project aimed at providing real-time help to victims of intimate partner violence in Windsor has connected over 75 per cent of victims with immediate resources since its launch nine weeks ago.
Staff Sergeant Rich Sieberer with the Windsor Police Special Victims Unit says they are doing more than they've ever done in the history of the service to address IPV.
In late September, the Windsor Police Service, Windsor Regional Hospital, Hiatus House, and Family Services Windsor-Essex announced the three-month pilot project that will see social workers available to provide on-site support in cases where intimate partner violence has been identified.
Under the program, officers will respond to calls for service, and specially trained social workers will then be called in to provide in-person trauma support, safety planning, and ongoing care to the victims.
Sieberer says a lot of times, officers will indicate the victim doesn't want to cooperate, but that changes once the social worker gets there.
"Their first step is to basically work with the victim, to calm down a little bit and be in a better place, and then tell them, 'Hey, I'm here for you. What do you want from me?' That's when they start building that bond and rapport with the victim, and that's when the victim will reach out and say, 'These are the helps I need,'" he says.
There have been just under 100 arrests for IPV-related occurances during the first nine weeks of the pilot program, which is operating now five days a week.
Sieberer says this is a massive transition for the police service in the way information is provided to help those in need, with more resources being provided than ever before to the victims.
"How many times have we been given a pamphlet, and where does that go? Now, having an actual person that's going to empathize with the victim, that's going to be able to bring them down in the moment when they're heightened emotionally and so on, and sit with them. Their only role—their only role as social workers at that time is to help that victim," he says.
Guenther says victims are reaching back out after that initial crisis because of the on-scene contact, and they have had admissions as a result of that visit.
She says they also get a lot of interaction with Windsor police, which is strengthening the partnership.
Over 40 per cent of all assaults reported this year are related to IPV, according to Windsor police.
Staff Sergeant Sieberer says looking long-term, they are tracking revictimization cases, and while there are positive numbers, it's still early.
"If a social worker goes to the scene, what is the percentage of that victim being revictimized? What's the stats on that offender reoffending? I think that will show if it's working, and with that, hopefully we start to see our numbers drop," he says.
Intimate partner violence can occur in any type of relationship and can include physical abuse, criminal harassment, sexual assault, financial exploitation, and coercive control.
If you or someone you know is an affected person in need of support, please call Victim Services Windsor Essex County at 519-723-2711 or the Victim Assistance Unit at Windsor Police at 519-255-6700, ext. 4879.