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POORER RESPONSE TIMES FROM WINNIPEG POLICE SERVICE FOR POOR
WOMEN FROM POORER NEIGHBORHOODS! Study Report says battered north-end
City of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada women wait longer for help - or none comes at all
from the Winnipeg Police Service. Study Report shows women from more affluent areas
of Winnipeg get faster service. Two weeks after two Winnipeg women from Winnipeg's
poorer north end were brutally murdered, who sent numerous calls to Winnipeg Police
Service emergency 911, who did not respond until the last one by which time it was too
late, a report from the Fort Garry Women's Center was published 2 weeks later was
released but somehow overlooked by the media???? The report based on 26 battered
women who voluntarily came forward shows that the murder of the 2 north end women
should have never happened. It is clear that women are inconsistently receiving protection
from the Manitoba Criminal Justice System and the Winnipeg Police Service according to
Tracy Lloyd the researcher said in her report. The report goes on to say that when police
did respond ever so slowly to north end 911 calls, the police were snotty, ignorant and
judgmental!
Of the 26 cases of women who came forward for the study from years 1992 to
1999 (hundreds probably didn't), police laid 22 charges, 19 cases went to court, 7 made it
to trial, and delays to get through court were from 3 months to 2 years+. The crown
attorneys-prosecutors and the courts came in for criticism that they were dismissive,
humiliating and embarrassing! Those accused got remands repeatedly forcing these
women to live in fear for their lives. One judge raised the ire of the public by openly
accusing a women of infidelity in court without a shread of evidence to support the notion.
The study goes on to graphically report how women in more affluent neighborhoods got
way better service.
As usual the crown attorneys couldn't be reached for comment and Manitoba
Justice the validity and conclusions of the study! The Winnipeg Police Service declined
comment but sources within the ranks indicate that the department was badly stung for the
double standards practiced and identified by them. It appears that the police do not keep
statistics on these cases and doesn't factor out domestic violence in their own statistics!?
Statistics were found however to indicate in domestic violence there were 9,253 calls,
2,951 assaults, 2,654 arrests but no one seems to want to know the conviction rate! From
other statistics from the Province of Manitoba there were 14,958 spousal abuse charges
laid, 8,024 went to court and 6,434 non-contest guilty pleas and 465 found guilty at trial!
Par for the course!
Women's shelter directors around Manitoba says if there is a law for the rich and a
law for the poor, domestic violence is the acid test. It is the bad areas of the city who don't
get the response at the aboriginal women suffer the worst not being from affluent
neighborhoods therefore they are not taken seriously no different than the 2 murdered
women.
Tracy Lloyd the researcher who organized, carried out, studied and produced the
report was surprised by the outcome. The north end core of Winnipeg cited the worst
problems, all participants came from different status's and walks of life. Police dealing with
north end-core areas told women to leave their homes, return when their partners sobered
up or slept it off. Police made no effort to arrest or remove the men producing the abuse
or take women to safety! Three women in the study from the affluent area of Winnipeg
gave police praise and support. All 3 said police responded immediately, were
compassionate and safe guarded the women and children! Lloyd concluded it is the luck of
the draw in Winnipeg if you get a police officer who understands partner abuse or not!
The other conclusion everyone in this city knows without a study and very real is it is not
the luck of the draw on what kind of police officer you get but where you live determines
police response period and that is the City of Winnipeg's shame! It is the Winnipeg Police
Services shame! It is the Manitoba Justice's system shame! When a noted publisher said it
appears that the spark and vibrancy has left Winnipeg, he was not kidding! These things
do it. Winnipeg or Manitoba a great place to live and work? Think again! Don't visit, you
could be this messes next innocent victim of a city and systems that have lost their ways
and are incapable of caring!
We wish to thank John A. Taylor of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada for the Local Press article from the Winnipeg Free Press. Keep it up John, this is how you get change for the better but it is a long haul and your area is plagued with problems, be patient!
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this guys an idiot
You go girl....but I'm wondering was the study only based on the 26 women who voluntarily came forward....and if so, were any of the women actually from affluent neighborhoods???
Wow!!! I do believe this is the worst study ever! To point out all of the flaws in this study would take up too much of my time so I'll just list a few. A study can't be considered accurate if you use volunteers! It's obviously going to be biased. From 1992 to 1999 the study only gathered 26 cases? Yeah that's a sample that represents the whole....... Then the study lashes out at the police when talking about the court system. The police enforce the laws, that's it! I might be incorrect because I'm not from Canada but that's just my opinion from what i've read.
my daughter witnessed a breakin and robbery of her van at 2:30 am May 29 /04 and reported it to 911 after 3 hrs. she called a non emergency no. and was told rudely that there were 122 calls reported and her turn would come when available personnel reported in. The evidence was there at the time, atrail of merchandise from her van to their house(the thiefs). As of 11.45 am still no cops.!!! WHY NOT B BEHL
thank you 4 every thing