Editorial: Top cop Tania Kura's appointment well timed

Linda Hall, assistant editor, Hawke's Bay Today.

The appointment of Eastern District Police Commander Superintendent Tania Kura couldn't have been timed better.

With her focus on family violence and the launch of Tu Mai Awa in Hawke's Bay on Saturday I think that finally we might be able to halt the escalating number of family violence incidents.

Tu Mai Awa is a project three years in the making and aims to make better use of networks and people in the community to reduce domestic violence.

The first and biggest step is that police have acknowledged we have a problem in Hawke's Bay. Ms Kura is also smart enough not to make empty promises.

She said the new approach wouldn't be police-led but rather the entire community needed to be a part of the solution.

And she's right. Instead of waiting for it to happen and helping victims recover we need to teach our youngsters and teenagers that's violence is not okay.

As Ms Kura said the actual event (the abuse) is only part of it.

No one wakes up one morning and decides they are going to start hitting and verbally abusing their loved ones.

Children learn by example. Yes, there are exceptions to the rules, but in let's face it - most of the people abusing their families have learned their behaviour by example.

The sad thing is that they usually partner up with someone who has been on the receiving end of abuse and the entire vicious circle starts all over again.

Good on Ms Kura for her determination to do something to help these families. With the community's help we have a chance to make a difference.