Police officers respond to nearly 50,000 cases of domestic violence in first five months

Police officers responded to nearly 50,000 cases of domestic violence in the first five months of this year, over 25,000 of which occurred in rural areas.

"In the first five months of the year, police officers issued 4,670 provisional protection orders, of which 1,783 were converted into protection orders by the courts. During the same period, police responded to 49,989 domestic violence cases, of which 24,815 occurred in urban areas and 25,174 in rural areas," the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police (IGPR) informed in a press release sent to AGERPRES on Thursday.

The prevention and combatting of all forms of violence represent a priority area of action for the Romanian Police, requiring a focus of institutional efforts and the identification and implementation of new working mechanisms, in order to ensure the protection of victims and hold perpetrators accountable, the source added.

Nationwide, during the first five months of the year, the number of recorded criminal offences related to domestic violence decreased by 18.5% compared to the same period in 2024, dropping from 23,047 to 18,787 cases. Police noted declines, compared to the same period in 2024, in cases of bodily harm or other violence (from 13,847 to 10,567), threats (from 2,906 to 2,206), and non-compliance with provisional protection orders (from 318 to 276 cases).

The largest share of offences is made up of 'bodily harm or other violence' - accounting for 56.2% (10,567 cases), according to the Inspectorate.

During the same period, courts issued 5,141 protection orders, 1,783 of which originated from provisional protection orders. Regarding the violation of protection orders, 2,114 offences were reported.

The Inspectorate also announced that more than 7,000 police officers have been trained, both through projects carried out in partnership with other institutions and through specific courses related to public order, on how to act in domestic violence cases. Since the implementation of SIME (the Monitoring and Evaluation System), 5,600 officers have been trained nationally between 2022 and 2024.

"The implementation of modern monitoring solutions, police training, and the development of prevention and information campaigns aimed at individuals who need to understand the protection mechanisms available to them, aim primarily to eliminate, limit, and prevent situations that threaten their lives and physical integrity. As a result, there is a downward trend in the number of murders associated with this phenomenon, while 86 cases were recorded in both 2023 and 2024, a number of 32 murders were reported in the first five months of this year," the source also mentioned.