Police domestic abuse campaign asks: 'is this love?' (From Falmouth Packet)

Police domestic abuse campaign asks: 'is this love?'

12:00pm Thursday 14th February 2013 in News

Police are asking, “Is this love?” using an online campaign to highlight the signs of domestic abuse this Valentine’s Day.

An online quiz designed to help people examine the health and safety of their relationships has been launched by Devon and Cornwall Police and domestic abuse agencies.

“Is this love?” is the theme of the campaign, which aims to raise awareness of different aspects of domestic violence and abuse and gives people an opportunity to give their relationships a health check.

The campaign is centred around an interactive quiz created by the Devon-based domestic abuse service Stop Abuse for Everyone (SAFE), to help people learn more about some of the lesser known aspects of abuse and find out if they could be in an abusive relationship.

Claire Brown, for SAFE, who created the quiz explained: “We wanted to create a simple and accessible resource to help people analyse their relationships with partners, friends and family members and find out whether certain behaviour could be abusive."

“We know that people who have experienced abuse for many years, or have grown up in a violent environment, do not always consider certain behaviour as abusive, so it is crucial that we raise awareness of what is acceptable and not acceptable in a relationship – and at Valentine’s Day, a time for love and affection, this is particularly poignant”.

The questions included in the quiz, cover some of the key signs of physical and emotional abuse and are based on a toolkit used by SAFE’s domestic abuse outreach teams in Devon.

Rachel Martin, Manager for adva, which is led by Devon County Council, said: “There are many forms of domestic abuse, from controlling behaviour over family finances, to threats and physical and sexual violence. Abuse in a relationship can happen to anyone at any time and there is help and support available to anyone who thinks they might be at risk or would like to talk to someone in confidence.”

Research carried out by Devon and Cornwall Police shows that during 2012, police responded to 26,149 domestic abuse incidents across the region.

To take the quiz click here

 Devon and Cornwall Police provide help, support and advice 24 hours a day via specially trained domestic abuse officers. In an emergency call 999 or for non –emergencies call 101; email 101@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk or visit www.devon-cornwall.pnn.police.uk for more information.