The Campbell River RCMP responded to 42 calls of domestic violence this April, a significant increase from last year. Compared to the 23 reports of domestic abuse of April in 2019, it is an 82.6 per cent jump.
According to police, 41 per cent of the domestic violence-related calls in April were involved with alcohol or drugs.
“It’s important to acknowledge the role that substances play in domestic violence, ” said Cst. Maury Tyre. “Unfortunately we do see couples try to hash out their problems when alcohol or drugs are on board, and it’s just not recommended.”
The Campbell River RCMP say it is always best to address problems in a relationship in a calm, collected manner without the use of substances.
“What the alcohol or drugs can do is magnify the already difficult issues in a relationship and then with lowered inhibitions people may not respond in the same way as they would when they are sober,” said the RCMP in its April 2020 Domestic Violence Report on Friday.
“Ideally you may want to seek mediation if you have concerns that things may become too elevated.”
The police also note that while the jump from 23 cases in 2019 to 42 in 2020 is substantial, when reviewing the number of calls year over year, April in 2019 did appear to be “an oddity” in its small amount of domestic-based reports.
Domestic abuse calls have spiked across the region since the start of the pandemic, with the Nanaimo RCMP attributing the increase it is seeing to the fact that more people are stuck at home in stressful situations due to COVID-19.
If you need help, the Vancouver Island Crisis line is 1-888-494-3888.
Rebecca Lawrence
