Beaten by her husband, a terrified woman frantically called the National Domestic Violence hotline (800-SAVE) on Wednesday hoping to get assistance but was appalled when she was told by the operator to call back.
She then contacted Police Commissioner Gary Griffith on 482-GARY seeking help.
She told Griffith about the abuse she faced at the hands of her husband and the discourtesy she received from the emergency hotline when she tried to get help.
During an interview with Guardian Media yesterday, Griffith confirmed that he spoke to the victim. He said the hotline was not affiliated with the T&T Police Service.
“ I contacted 800 SAVE to verify what transpired and the operator again said they were busy. I identified myself and told her this was inappropriate. I asked to speak to the coordinator. It was very alarming when the coordinator told me I needed to understand the system. This kind of attitude is why so many things are going wrong,” Griffith said.
He added, “800 SAVE has nothing to do with the police and they are supposed to be involved in helping people. When I was told about the response at the hotline, I felt disgusted because this is not the standard operational procedures. This call could have been a life and death situation and every minute may count.
He said the victim was advised to call back.
“When she did what they asked, which was to call back and they told her to contact the Belmont Police Station or to report it to the Commissioner because she obviously has a link to the Commissioner. They did not help her,” Griffith revealed.
Saying this type of response was “unacceptable and unprofessional,” Griffith said he intended to deal with these issues “piece by piece.”
He reminded the country to call 999 if they needed immediate assistance, noting that all emergencies will be dealt with by the TTPS Rapid Response Unit.
Asked whether 999 was operating efficiently, Griffith said previously the 999 centre was short-staffed.
“I had a long meeting today and I have set protocols. I intend to make it fully staffed by placing SRPs who are specially trained to answer these emergency calls,” Griffith revealed.
He said all calls will be acted upon and in cases of domestic violence, the gender-based violence units will be dealing with investigations.
“The Emergency Response Patrols will be acting on the 999 calls so you will get an immediate response,” he added.
He noted that every call made to emergency hotlines must be treated as important.
Griffith also told citizens that they do not need to call a police station to get a response.
“Gone are the days when you would call the police station for help. If you need immediate assistance or have just been the victim of a crime call the 999,” Griffith added.
Guardian Media contacted 1-800-SAVE regarding the allegations and was told by the operator that the coordinator had already left for the day.
WHAT IS 800-SAVE?
The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-SAVE (7283) was set up by Government in 2016.
On the government website, it was said that this 24-hour hotline was supposed to provide counselling services, crisis intervention and referrals to appropriate agencies such as, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the Victim and Support Unit of the TTPS, the National Family Services, the Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, Lifeline or the Rape Crisis Society. Referrals can also be made for directing the victim to a place of safety or a shelter. (http://www.news.gov.tt/content/end-domestic-violence#.)