Cameras in homes / Domestic violence

I wasn't really sure what angle to take on this story.

POLICE want to place CCTV cameras inside the homes of battered wives to catch Lancashire’s worst repeat offenders.

Is it a post on domestic violence where I ask the question, "Why do women continue to be with the 'worst repeat offenders'"?

Is it a post on CCTV in private homes where I ask the question, "Where will this go in the future"?

The pilot project has been welcomed by campaigners who said the devices would record vital evidence ‘capturing pictures that tell a thousand words’.
Other measures proposed in £105,000 package to protect domestic violence victims include high-tech mobile phone-sized alarms containing GPS technology.

So we're spending £105,000 to babysit people who continue to insist on living with abusive partners and refuse to leave. Am I reading this right? The only possible sucess this scheme would have would be to gather evidence for a conviction, jailing the abusive partner and splitting up the couple.

Jail is obviously the best option for an abusive spouse, but why would the abused stay with them long enough that measures like these become necessary.

I would have thought that any person worth their salt would leave their partner after the first punch and never come back.

The point of putting CCTV in households to watch abusive spouses batter their partners in order to obtain a conviction is beyond me.

It comes as charities report an increase in incidents in East Lancashire this year, which was put down to job losses resulting from the economic slump.

Loose your job, beat the partner. We all do it - not.

Bosses hope the trial, which will be rolled out across the county if it is a success, well help cut the estimated £158million annual cost of domestic violence.

The impact on Lancashire’s public services, including the NHS, police and social services is £85million, while sickness absence related to domestic violence costs employers £73million, according to council bosses.

We always come back to the cost don't we.

If we really have to spend taxpayers money on people who are being abused by their spouse, let's spend that money on getting them away from abusive partners. Not picking up the pieces every time they decide they love their abusive spouse and want to go back to them.

Detective Superintendent Ian Critchley said: “Domestic abuse is a cowardly, deplorable crime and we will always take positive action to ensure that offenders face justice for their actions.”

It is a cowardly and deploreable crime. It is good that the police will do all they can to convict an offender. It is not good that people who live with offenders will continually put themselves in that position rather than get themselves out. It is not good that a person who has made an adult choice to remain with their abusive partner, runs to the police and social services every time they are abused. It is not good that the situation has now got to the stage where the police suggest putting CCTV in the homes of the abused.

Being attacked and feeling isolated in their own home ‘maximises’ their victimisation, meaning many crimes are not reported, the report said.

It adds: “By being able to install recording equipment in victims houses who are deemed to be at high risk we not only could seek to protect, capture evidence and reassure but we may ultimately restore sufficient faith in the protection we offer to ensure victims report and cooperate.”

Again, if they are at 'high risk' why do they stay put with their abusive partners?

To me, this system does not offer any solutions. If a person chooses to stay with an abusive partner they must want to be with them. The only possible use for these cameras would be to send the abuser to jail.

If the pilot was successful, police will look into ‘adopting this practice force wide as best practice’, the report said.

So where will this go. I'm sure that once the authorities have cameras in some houses they will be able to invoke the princpal of extension and start introducing cameras in many other houses to deal with many other criminals:

"You didn't object to the use of cameras in homes to stop domestic violence, why object to using them to stop [insert hobbyhorse]?