This literature review examines concerns raised regarding the police pro-arrest response at domestic violence incidents. In New Zealand the pro-arrest provisions instruct officers to arrest offenders where there is sufficient evidence and that the victim does not have to make an official complaint. This was first introduced in 1987 under the Domestic Dispute Policy (Commissioner’s Circular 1987/11). The current principles, policy and procedure for police response to family violence are outlined in the 1996 Family Violence Policy (FVP) (Police Commissioner Policy Circular 1996/2) which is based on three core principles: victim safety; offender accountability; and consistent practices across agencies and groups.
The two main concerns this review focuses on are, first, findings from several studies from the United States that claimed the pro-arrest response may actually increase violence among various subgroups in society such as unemployed and minority ethnic communities (Berk et al. 1992; Sherman 1992a, 1992b; Sherman et al. 1992c; Sherman et al. 1992d). The second area of concern is the directive nature of the pro-arrest response and the impact on victims of taking the choice of pressing charges away from them.
To examine the validity of these concerns the review outlines the key issues and research findings identified in studies on police pro-arrest policies from both the international and New Zealand literature.