The police told the silent help sign to the violent husband! 'Education should be given'

Police teams, who were dispatched to the specified address in Maltepe, Istanbul, encountered a situation where a man tried to prevent his wife from speaking and caused difficulties for the officers. Despite the suspicious man's pressure and obstruction efforts, the woman asked for help by making the internationally recognized "silent help" hand sign to the police teams at a moment when her husband was not noticed.

In response to the woman's secret cry for help from her abusive husband, the police officer on duty, right next to the suspect, said, "You are making a sign," and openly exposed the victim woman. The person, who was reported to have psychological disorders and continued to put pressure on his wife, was neutralized and taken into custody after he continued to resist the police teams.

During the investigation, it was determined that there had been arguments between the couple before and that Sultan P had made reports in the past but later gave up his complaint.

'Good intentions are not enough'

Regarding the incident that brought controversy, Lawyer Süreyya Kardelen Yarli said that he had the impression that the police were being cautious to prevent harm to the woman, but good intentions alone were not enough in such cases. Pointing out that not every police officer may know the silent help sign, Yarli stated that the closest patrol team may have been directed to the scene instead of the domestic violence unit. Yarli emphasized that the training to be provided on intervention in cases of violence should not be limited to specialized units only. Criticizing the woman's hand gestures being mentioned in front of her husband, Yarli said that a woman under pressure cannot be expected to complain in front of her husband. Stating that the police should meet with the woman in a safe environment and not make her a target next to the suspect, Yarli said:

"In cases of violence against women, it is not enough for police officers to just know the legislation. They need to receive comprehensive and practical training on how to approach women, how to establish safe communication, how to assess the risk and what expressions to avoid in the presence of the suspect."

'They should rest in a separate place'

Soner Güzel, who became a lawyer after working as a police officer for 15 years, also said that the woman should not be questioned in the same environment as her husband. Güzel stated that domestic violence units in the police force were established to handle these files by more knowledgeable and experienced teams, and said, "One of the biggest shortcomings of the police is that they do not take the woman to an isolated area, where her husband cannot hear or see her, and do not meet with her separately. If you ask, 'Are you complaining?' in front of her husband's eyes, the woman may say that she is not complaining out of fear." Güzel argued that many police officers do not know the silent help sign and said that public service announcements should be prepared and large-scale awareness activities should be carried out in order for this sign to be recognized by the whole society.