Gardaí told to up domestic violence arrests

Frontline gardaí are being encouraged to arrest suspected domestic violence abusers under a new Garda intervention policy.

The Garda Domestic Abuse Intervention Policy 2017 follows significant criticism, particularly by the Garda Inspectorate, which highlighted “low volumes of arrests”, with 287 arrests out of 11,000 incidents examined.

Women’s Aid welcomed the policy, particularly the focus on call-takers, the safety of victims, the risks to children and the emphasis on supervision of gardaí.