Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau says violence against women is one of his three priorities — in no particular order — to improve while he’s in office. Ottawa Sun multimedia journalist Doug Hempstead sat down with the chief to find out what the city’s top cop believes is the cause, effect and solution to the problem and ask critical questions about how the force handles these crimes.
Q. Why is violence against women one of your three priorities?
A. If you look at the homicides that we’ve had, that have been domestics — all of those are preventable. If you turn back the clock and retrace all the events, there could have been an intervention done that may have changed the final outcome of that tragedy.
Q. What most commonly constitutes violence against women in Ottawa now?
A. There’s two new trends that we’re seeing that we really need to put a spotlight on. One is the whole issue of technology and the impact on harassing, bullying — partners now using technology to further harass their ex-partners. That potentially leads to the escalation to physical violence. Before, people had to use the phone or go to the house to start harassing or stalking — now we’re seeing the use of technology.
The second trend is honour-based violence. The Kingston homicide is a good example of a tremendous tragedy, but there are other events that have taken place in our community that haven’t led to homicides, but have led to assaults.
Q. Maybe it’s just my perspective, but why don’t we hear about this as much as we used to?
A. The issue hasn’t gone away. It’s just as much an issue as it ever was.
Q. How, in this day and age, is it possible that men could believe on some level that women are somehow lesser or subservient to them?
A. It’s human behaviour. People learn this type of behaviour and for some men it’s about power — exhibiting power over a relationship. If they find the right victim, its hard for them not to fall victim to it. They get caught in that cycle of violence.
Q. If it is learned behaviour, where are they learning it from now? Isn’t there less of it around?
A. I don’t think there’s less of it around. I think it’s under-reported. The issue has not gone away, but I agree, you don’t hear as much about it.
Six years, 18 bodies
In the past six years, 18 people have died because of domestic violence in
Ottawa — all of it perpetrated by men against women.
Here’s a breakdown:
2012: One incident, a murder-suicide, two dead
2011: Three incidents, three dead
2010: Four incidents, one a murder-suicide, five dead
2009: One incident, one dead
2008: Two incidents, one a murder-suicide, three dead
2007: One incident, a murder-suicide, four dead
Twitter: @DougHempstead
Commentary by the Ottawa Mens Centre
The Ottawa Police habitually fabricate evidence to charge male vicitms of domestic violence
to promote Violence Against Men by women.
The Ottawa Police are riddled with Corrupt Rotten pathological liars like Wayne Samuel Smith, and det. Peter Van Der Zander.
Check out the wanted pages at www.OttawaMensCentre.com/wanted.htm