New Calgary report explores warning signs of domestic violence

A new domestic violence report out of the University of Calgary (U of C) could help flag early warning signs.

It’s the second in a series of research and done in partnership with the Calgary Police Service.

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The study examined data from 934 male perpetrators of domestic violence in Calgary who were charged with the crime in 2019 and had a ten-year history of criminal charges or domestic violence encounters prior to being charged.

Findings from the report note that over the last 10 years, 73 per cent of the men charged with domestic violence had a history with CPS.

Lana Wells, one of the report authors and CEO of the Brenda Strafford Chair says the goal is to understand the predictors of male perpetrated domestic violence and intervene before someone is hurt

"We're figuring out if there are patterns, behaviours, or insights that are providing red flags, so we can provide supports to boys and men early on to have health relationships," said Wells.

"This tells us that domestic violence can be predictive, that actually when men come into contact with police, they need supports and services too. So, if we want to prevent the escalation of domestic violence, we have an opportunity to support all men, which we need to be doing to prevent this form of violence."

The study found that men commit 99 per cent of sexual assaults against women nationwide which is why providing support for males to prevent committing these crimes became a central focus.

Kim Ruse, a fellow report author and CEO of FearIsNot Love also pointed towards statistics in the study which found that 64 per cent of the men saw a clear increase in police interaction in the two years prior to being charged with domestic violence.

"This study is critical to our community for several reasons. One is it clearly shows that there are predictive factors in violence and abuse," said Ruse.

"There's a community narrative out there that violence is random, but it's about power, it's about choice. There are predictive factors, and this study is starting to have open that conversation and share that message with people"

Resources for domestic violence prevention

Ruse added that these findings point to the need for greater support for men who are struggling with their mental health.

She spoke about a new first of its kind resource in Canada called men& which is an online support for men's mental emotional and relational wellbeing.

"It aims to engage men at an earlier point, providing resources that are self guided," said Ruse.

"There's content that helps people learn about what is a healthy relationship? How do you apologize a relationship? How do you deal with conflict? How do you build an intimate relationship based on safety and then how do you actually start down that very journey that's really safe and self guided?"

The resources, according to CPS Deputy Chief Chad Tawfik, are essential for those with a history of domestic violence charges, but also the 27 per cent of men in the study who had no contact with police prior to being charged.

"We have to work with our community to make sure that you know, the people that hear that things are happening, that they try to intervene, and when we eventually do get called, that we try to assess the risk as best we can and intervene early," he said.

Calgarians experiencing abuse or violence in an intimate or family relationship are always encouraged to reach out for help. There are countless agencies ready to offer support that can be contacted by calling 211.

The Domestic Violence and Abuse Helpline is available 24/7 at 403-234-SAFE (7233).

FearIsNotLove offering a variety of resources for men is available by calling 1-833-327-MENS (6367).

Calgarians can call the Government of Alberta's Family Violence Info Line at 310-1818 which is available 24/7 and in more than 170 languages from anywhere in Alberta.

The Alberta Safety Chat Line is available online between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. MST in English.

Victims of domestic violence can also contact the Calgary Police Service anytime by calling the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234, or 911 if you are in immediate danger.

Calgary Police opening up conversation around domestic violence

November is Family Violence Prevention Month in Alberta, and the Calgary Police Service, along with other partner agencies, are bringing awareness to domestic violence in hopes of inciting meaningful conversations about reaching out for help and accessing available resources for those in need.

Over the course of the last four years, Calgary police responded to anywhere between 3,500 to 4,000 domestic violence calls on an annual basis.

From January to September, officers have attended 3,040 calls.

In 2023, CPS responded to more than 23,000 domestic conflict calls, which refers to people recognizing a potentially dangerous domestic situation and placing a call for help.

Staff Sgt. Glenn Andruschuk of the Calgary Police Service domestic conflict unit says these non-criminal calls can include verbal altercations that escalated to the point police were called, or situations where one party asked police to be present during an interaction with an intimate partner or family member.

"Our statistics and reporting continue to show Calgarians are engaging police and looking for community support by reaching out to us," said Andruschuk.

"Attending these calls for service allows our officers to educate families around a variety of resources available to them within the community, and to ensure they are connected to organizations that offer wraparound supports for their needs."