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“The fact that the police received over 2,000 calls about domestic violence over the Christmas holidays is truly horrible and my heart goes out to every single victim affected.
“We know that domestic violence is often worse over the festive period and I am pleased that there was a proactive approach from the PSNI and the DoJ, particularly targeting younger people with their communications.
“I am hopeful that the number of young people contacting the police is an indication that this approach is working and giving young people more confidence to report domestic violence incidents.
“Making that call to the police is often the first step in a journey that can be painful and re-traumatising for victims of domestic violence. We all have a role to play in supporting those victims and I will continue to meet and engage with them to understand how the criminal justice system can work better for them.
"Any victim who wants to share their story with me can do so by going to www.cvocni.org.”