Hosted by the Cyprus Police Academy, CEPOL course 'Domestic Violence International Aspects & Experiences' attracted 21 representatives from 15 Member States and CEPOL Associated countries to Nicosia in Cyprus on 8-11 November 2010.
The majority of participants were experts in the field of domestic violence and deal with such cases on a daily basis. Although CEPOL courses usually focus on the European Dimension of the activity topics, this particular course tackled international aspects of the problem, giving the participants an even broader scope to gain from.
The course benefited from the knowledge of experts from Poland and Cyprus, as well as Malta and Spain that were also involved in the overall preparation of the course.
On day one of the course, the Cypriot Commissioner of Children’s Rights, Leda Koursoumba addressed the participants and presented the efforts and actions taken in Cyprus with regards to domestic violence and child abuse.
The overall aim of the course was to further law enforcement and training standards by providing specialised knowledge and sharing experiences on methods of policing domestic violence. During the initial stages of the course the participants were given the opportunity to:
- Foster an awareness of the CEPOL Common Curriculum “Policing Domestic Violence”;
- Develop a greater understanding of specific aspects of domestic violence;
- Share European experiences with regards to the role of the police and interdisciplinary cooperation in dealing with cases of domestic violence;
- Discuss good practice models and challenges in policing domestic violence and providing adequate police training;
- Understand, appreciate and overcome difficulties in handling domestic violence victims;
- Gain awareness on assessing the risk factors involved in domestic violence incidents;
- Develop an awareness of the use of information technology with regards to dealing with domestic violence.
Organised in an effort to enable the exchange experiences and possibly identify common standards that could be adopted by all Member States to prevent this social phenomenon, the participants enjoyed this opportunity to identify diverse issues in European Police methods.
Blagorodna Makeva Naydenova, Chief Inspector and lawyer from Bulgaria, said: 'This course was perfectly organised. I had the opportunity to collect fruitful information concerning police work as well as find answers on how to improve our national legislation in order to deal with domestic violence. Thanks everybody.”
The Chief of Cyprus Police, Michael Papageorgiou in his closing speech, said: 'I am sure that you will agree with me that the course has been highly useful and productive as you were provided with the opportunity to exchange views and ideas on many important issues. I am confident that each one of you is leaving this course wiser and more determined to take action in the fight against domestic violence. The ideas discussed and presented during this course constitute another tool in confronting this social phenomenon.”
