Domestic violence victims advised to ‘open-up’

Edward Oduro Kwarteng, Volta Regional Police Commander, has advised victims of domestic violence to "open up" to the police on issues of strained love relationships to avert aggravated anger leading to violent attacks and deaths.

He said sharing issues that caused psychological trauma with the police and the right agencies had become extremely important in view of increasing cases of deaths resulting from domestic violence.

The Regional Police Commander said this at a press conference on an alleged murder of a 44-year-old woman by her husband, Emmanuel Dorfe, 55, at Hodzo-Aviefe, a suburb of Ho Municipality last Thursday.

He said concealing vital information of strained relationship from the police was "deadly" and said it was important for the public not to forget that the police was their friend and protector.

Mr Kwarteng told the media that on May 13, 2019 the deceased Vivian Dorfe reported the suspect to the Tokokoe police for assault over lack of maintenance of their children, a case which was referred to the Regional Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) and was under investigation.

He said during investigations, both suspect and the deceased were to report at the station last Friday, May 17, 2019 for "appropriate actions."

He said a day before their scheduled meeting, the suspect reported to DOVVSU in the company of one Philip Dorgbetor, who told the police that he had been asked by the chief of Hodzo-Aviefe to withdraw the case from the police.

Mr Kwarteng said, because the arrangement was "inappropriate", the suspect was formally arrested and granted bail on same day to report on Friday, May 17, 2019.

He said their checks later revealed that no such intervention had been done by the chief as mentioned by Dorgbetor and the suspect.

The Regional Commander said on the same day, the suspect ambushed and gruesomely murdered his wife on her way to church in the full glare of their son.

Mr Kwarteng said police investigations showed that the deceased concealed vital information about the use of offensive weapon by the suspect on May 13, 2019 in her first statement to the police.