Police statistics show increase in cases of domestic violence in Romania

Both the number of cases of domestic violence and the number of protection orders issued by the authorities increased in 2018 compared to the previous year, according to statistics of the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police (IGPR). However, the number of victims who chose to report the assaults to the police also went up this year. A total of 36,245 cases of domestic violence had been reported to the police in 2017, of which 3,794 in Bucharest, according to a press release from IGPR, quoted by local Mediafax. By comparison, in the first ten months of this year, a total of 32,696 such crimes were reported nationwide, and 3,424 of them were committed in Bucharest. “An analysis of the Romanian Police’s statistical data reveals that this type of crime has been on an upward trend, the number of criminal offenses increasing from 35,202 in 2016 to 36,245 in 2017, a growth of about 3%,” reads the press release. One of the reasons why the police have been registering more cases of domestic violence is attributed to the fact that increasingly more victims choose to report such aggressions to the police. At the same time, in 2018, there has also been an increase in the number of threats the victims have chosen to bring to the attention of the authorities. IGPR data also revealed that the number of protection orders issued by the authorities increased by 30% this year compared to 2017, as increasingly more people chose to report the assaults. Earlier this month, the Interior Ministry put up for public debate a draft project according to which the police officers will have the right to issue temporary orders of protection on the spot, for a period of five days, if they decide it’s the case. The policemen can intervene in cases of domestic violence based on complaints received from persons who have participated in any way in an event of violence or based on complaints received from witnesses. At the same time, such offenses can be reported at the emergency number 112 or in writing, but the police officers can also decide to intervene without any prior notification. Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com