Police and Crime Commissioner for the Sussex Police is facing heavy criticism for donating £11,137 to the charity Cats Protection to help place pets who are potential victims of domestic violence into a safe environment.
The Paws Protect project will aid in removing pets from abusive households. Katy Bourne, is behind the project that local counsellors are questioning because they believe the money could be better spent fighting crime more directly.
Those who have survived domestic violence situations realize that many times the abused won’t leave the home because it could mean leaving their pet behind. The grant, which was given as part of the PCC’s Safe Space Sussex Funding Network, comes from money ring-fenced by the Ministry of Justice for victims’ support services.
Kathryn Field, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Battle and Crowhurst, stated in an interview with The Telegraph
“Perhaps more police officers may help to stop the abuse at source and there are other charities working with victims more directly. If the public purse is working with charities, it needs to be on a contractual basis. You then can scrutinise the contract and have evidence of the work you have done, with specifically designed outcomes at the start.”
How do you feel about this donation? Perhaps criminal domestic violence isn’t as big of an issue in the UK as it is in the United States. Let’s hope not, anyway. In the U.S., pets are killed in front of the abused and in some cases the person being abused is killed in front of the pet.
