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2 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 9, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com Crime Stoppers takes aim at domestic abuse Tip line will take calls about abusive spouses By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Crime Stoppers of Halton is calling on the public to be silent no longer when it comes to suspicions of domestic abuse and is giving them a tool to make their voices heard. The crime fighting organization announced, during a Thursday presentation at the Halton Region, that its tip line will now take calls from anyone who is aware of someone being abused by a spouse or significant other. Police Chief Gary Crowell noted that even in Halton there is no shortage of need for such an innovation. "Domestic violence is a problem that is not limited to any one segment of our society, but is prevalent in every age group, racial, social, economic, educational group," said Crowell. "Halton was recently recognized as one of the safest communities of its size in Canada, but despite this Halton Regional Police laid charges in relation to 680 domestic violence incidents in 2007. In the first 10 months of 2008 more than 620 charges were laid." Crowell went on to note that the tip line is important because women tend to endure as many as 10 assaults before contacting the police during which time the fact that they are in crisis is apparent to friends, family, neighbours and others in their lives. This sad truth became crystal clear for Crowell when he became a member of the Ontario Chief Coroner's Office Domestic Violence Death Review Committee in 2007. "I had the opportunity to review many domestic violence-related deaths that occurred in the province of Ontario. Some of these women were murdered, some committed suicide, some were murder-suicides and the realization of everyone who sat around that table is that there were a number of opportunities that people had to report domestic violence incidents and they just never took that opportunity," said Crowell. "Calling Crime Stoppers could be the first step to getting a family or an LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER TRAGIC TALE: Diane Lee-Clemons, speaking at the launch of Halton Crime Stoppers Month on Thursday, discussed the loss of her sister, who lived with an abusive husband. individual the help they need." Crime Stoppers of Halton Coordinator Gary Gold noted that the tip line allows neighbours, friends, family or others to bring their concerns about dangerous spousal situations to police without actually having to get involved. As with all calls to the Crime Stoppers, tip line callers can remain anonymous. Once the information has been given to Crime Stoppers, it is passed along to the newly-formed Halton Regional Police Domestic Violence Investigation Unit, which will make enquiries and bring together experts from various social agencies to protect the victim and any others, including children, who may be in harm's way. Sarah Patterson, a co-ordinator for Halton's Violence Prevention Council, noted that the public needs to recognize the signs of abuse so they can act. "An example of some of the 15 warning signs is that he puts her down; he does all the talking and dominates the conversation; he checks up on her all the time, even at work; he acts like he owns her; she is apologetic and makes excuses for his behaviour or she becomes aggressive and angry; she is nervous talking when he's there," said Patterson. "Once we have learned those key warning signs, our second step is to learn how to help." Doing nothing can have severe consequences as was made clear by the presentation's keynote speaker Diane Clemons, wife of Michael `Pinball' Clemons, who related the sad story of her sister. Diane said soon after her sister got married her husband began cutting her access to the rest of her family. Over time, weekend visits turned into weekend phone calls with the phone calls eventually turning into letters. The family noticed that her sister had changed, but always dropped the issue when she said she was okay. Eventually, the family received a call from her sister's young child asking for help, saying that his mother was sick in the bathroom and would not come out. When the concerned family arrived they found the husband casually watching TV while his wife was severely ill in the bathroom. The family took her to the hospital where it was determined she had stomach cancer. She died two weeks later. Until the family got involved she had received no medical treatment. "The husband was an abusive male, who had literally sucked everything out of her. He kept telling her that she was worthless, that no one else would want her, that she'd never make it without him. He told her this over and over again until she believed that no one would listen to her," said Diane, choking back tears. "She didn't know who she could turn to. She didn't have Crime Stoppers." With the sad story complete, Diane brought out a picture of her sister and passed it out to the audience. She noted that people need to start speaking up when they see the warning signs of abuse so that countless women like her sister can receive the help they need. Gold is hoping stories like this one will convince people that domestic violence is something that needs to be confronted, not ignored or accepted. "Domestic violence isn't a private matter and people shouldn't be left to suffer," he said. "People must speak out. A person's life may depend on you making the call." The Crime Stoppers of Halton Tip Line can be reached at 1-800222-TIPS (8477) or text `TIP201' plus message to CRIMES (274637). oyster perpetual datejust oyster perpetualdatejust steel and steel and 18kt 18kt yellow gold yellow gold RECLINER Clearout ·AVANT-GLIDE ·MATRIX In-stock 217 Lakeshore Road East Downtown Oakville Since 1953 www.swissinteriors.com 905.844.3530