Domestic violence centre should not be in barracks

Derry Sinn Féin Councillor Maeve McLaughlin, commenting on the opening of a Domestic Violence Centre at Strand Road PSNI Barracks, said that while this is a growing problem in society and action has to be taken to address it: "I do not believe that a centre located inside a PSNI Barracks staffed entirely by PSNI personnel is the solution."

"The fact that there is to be a separate entrance does not remove the fact that it is still inside a PSNI Barracks," she said. "As such, it will not be used by large numbers of people who do not trust this force to maintain confidence if it decides that information gleaned during interviews with either a victim or an accused could be passed on to other Branches if it is deemed that PSNI intelligence gathering purposes could be served by such action.'

The fact that the Centre will be staffed entirely by PSNI personnel is also not conducive to serving the entire community, said McLaughlin. "The Centre should be located away from the precincts of any PSNI Barracks and those that unfortunately find themselves in need of its services should only have to talk to PSNI personnel if the individual requests such an interview.

"It would be more appropriate to provide proper funding for counselling and referral services to existing organisations such as Women's Aid or the Well Women Centre, where victims of domestic violence would feel more comfortable and where they would not be pressured into speaking to anyone, including the PSNI, unless they choose to do so."