POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 85 continued Going to the Police When do the police get involved? You can call the police if your partner assaults or threatens you. A family member, neighbour, friend or someone else might call the police if they hear or see the assault and are worried about you or your children. The police enforce the law and look into crimes. Police are allowed to come into your home when they get a report of abuse or family violence. When they come to your home, the police will talk with you, your partner and any other family members or witnesses who saw or heard what happened. They will do this before deciding if they should charge either or both of you with a crime. The police decide what happens. You do not decide. Your partner does not decide. Could I be charged with a crime? The police will talk to both you and your partner, and look for evidence to decide if they will charge anyone involved with a crime. There is always a chance that you will be charged with a crime, even if you are the person who was abused. Sometimes an abused partner could be charged with a crime because: • your partner lied to the police about what happened • the police might not have a good understanding of family violence or abusive relationships and may not know what is really going on • language and/or cultural barriers make it difficult for you to explain what happened to the police. If the police think there is a good legal reason (called reasonable grounds) to believe that someone committed a crime, they must charge that person with a crime. This means the police may charge your partner, you, or both of you with a crime. Designed by Freepik
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