Police inspector urges males to be more protective of opposite sex

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A female inspector in the Royal Police Force of Antigua & Barbuda (RPFAB) has called upon men in the society to take a more protective position within their neighbourhoods in order to reduce cases of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Inspector Petronella Hopkins of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said recent crimes perpetuated against females have alerted police officials, and as a result she tackled some of these concerns on OBSERVER Radio’s Police Patrol.
“I speak from the Biblical perspective, the male being the head of the home; it his right to protect the family at all costs. As the man in the community, you should be looking [out] for her as well as your own families and if we start by doing that then some of the crimes will not be committed against females,” Hopkins said.
Additionally, Hopkins emphasised the need for developing community-level protection for women and young girls who she deems “vulnerable” to awful crimes.
“We have to look at how the community views females. If we do not respect the females in the community, we will have violence. I’m speaking as a woman, not as a police, when it comes to domestic violence some women do not recognise at first, that it is violence against them,” Hopkins said.
In advising the listening audience, she said educating the neighbourhood, children especially, will promote the attitude of “constantly looking out for each other”.
Hopkins said women living alone should be mindful of what messages they send out over social media, “When you put your business on these mediums, it is for all and sundry to see when you say where you’re going and everything you do.”
She cautioned users that perpetrators can more easily access their locations with the advent of the “Check-In” status update on Facebook.
Meanwhile, the inspector said she is aware that many of the victims are single mothers who do not have a constant male presence in the household or even tend to reside in communities which are far from immediate relatives.
“If they don’t have family members close to them, get to know your neighbour. If you are single and living with small children, work late like after 10, you should have your neighbour’s number so you can call and say, ‘Neighbour I’m on my way home, look out for me!’”

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