According to Statistics Canada, British Columbia has the highest reported rate of violence against women in relationships at 59 percent. Crime statistics indicate that an average of 110 women are killed every year by their partners or ex-partners. For many women, the threat of violence escalates when they attempt to leave or end an abusive relationship.

On April 5, 1996, Rajwar Gakhal, her family, and her sister's family were ruthlessly murdered by her estranged partner, Mark Chahal in Vernon, BC. The tragedy in Vernon was a clear example of how existing systems that are designed to protect women often fail these very women. A year later, there is an urgent need to re-examine and assess whether these systems are fulfilling their mandate to protect women. Are the policies that have been implemented working? Are these policies being implemented in a consistent manner?

This study is based on a pilot survey of front-line service delivery organizations in BC conducted by the FREDA Centre with the intention of highlighting whether police forces in the province are implementing the recently amended Violence Against Women in Relationships (VAWIR) policy. A total of 45 organizations were surveyed and included sexual assault centres, women's centres, and transition houses. Of the organizations surveyed, 60 percent were located in urban areas, whereas 40 percent were located in rural areas. With respect to the policing forces in these areas, 74 percent were under RCMP jurisdictions, 18 percent under the Vancouver police, and 8 percent under other municipal forces.

The results indicate that a little over half of the organizations (53 percent) reported that the policing forces in their areas were implementing the proactive arrest strategy as set out in the VAWIR policy. Another 47 percent stated that the police are not following the policy. However, 82 percent of the participating organizations indicated that they had concerns about the ways in which the police were interpreting and implementing the VAWIR policy.

When questioned about the effectiveness of the VAWIR policy, only 49 percent of the participants felt that it was ameliorating the situation of women. Another 42 percent indicated that the policy was not effective. However, 84 percent of the participants indicated that their concerns were rooted in the manner in which the policy was being implemented.

A number of participants indicated that police officers were using their own discretion in determining whether to arrest. Police officers were identified as being reluctant to arrest if they only had the women's story and could not corroborate it. Participants noted that most violence in relationships tends to occur behind closed doors, and not in public where witnesses are readily available.

Other participants observed that the presence of alcohol was a significant factor that influenced police officers' decisions to arrest. In some areas, police were not arresting abusers despite the fact that women were being threatened with violence and death. In other cases, participants reported that women were being arrested instead because police officers tended to believe the abuser. The policy was not seen as protecting women who are disadvantaged. These include women with addictions and street-involved women.

Overall, participants indicated that the situation for women was improving but that the VAWIR policy was not being implemented in a consistent manner. Many women, they noted, were reluctant to seek police assistance because they did not feel supported or believed by the police.

According to the participants surveyed, the police officers themselves are experiencing difficulty in implementing the VAWIR policy because of the lack of support they experience from the crown and courts. Despite stipulations in the VAWIR policy, many police officers will not arrest unless the woman is willing to testify in court.

Participants noted that positive experiences with the VAWIR policy were contingent on their encounters with individual police officers who were committed to it, and who implemented it in a consistent manner.

The general findings indicate that too much discretion is being exercised by individual police officers, preventing the policy from being effective. However, the police are only one part of the system failing women in violent relationships. The crown and courts were also indicated by participants as impeding the effectiveness of the policy. A coordinated effort by the entire criminal justice system is necessary if the policy is to be implemented in a consistent fashion and in the spirit in which it was intended.

Recommendations made by participants include the need for more education, coordination, awareness, and resources for organizations that are involved in providing direct services to women survivors of abuse.

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