Police and Te Whare Pounamu Dunedin Women’s Refuge said the Livingstone children’s deaths in 2014 were a catalyst for change in the police and agencies charged with protecting family violence victims. In the months before the children’s deaths, Livingstone was twice charged with breaching a protection order preventing him from contacting Ms Webb. Te Whare Pounamu Dunedin Women’s Refuge manager Wenda Parata-Muir said, since the deaths, she had seen a change in the culture of police regarding family violence, which might explain the surge in offenders before the courts on family violence breaches. "This commitment is being driven through the Government’s ministerial group on family violence and sexual violence and within police through a wide range of work streams, including policing excellence the future: safer whanau and our internal family violence change programme: police mind-set and practice," Insp Tibbott said. "The New Zealand Police is committed to reducing the harm and prevalence of family violence,’’ Insp Tibbott said.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 14, 2016 02:24 UTC