Police chief: We can often do little more than apply a bandage to domestic violence
Although police respond to 10,000 domestic violence calls a year, their role is often just "putting a bandage on the wound," said PPA chief Egert Belitšev.
Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) Director General Egert Belitšev said Monday on Vikerraadio's "Vikerhommik" that the key question is how much Estonia as a country is truly investing in breaking the cycle of domestic violence and how much it actually wants to.
"Yes, when we as police officers respond to a call, we're often just putting a bandage on a much deeper issue. We come in, stop the immediate incident and the violence. We make sure the perpetrator leaves — whether to a friend's or relative's home or, if intoxicated, to a sobering-up facility. But that doesn't solve the real problem. It's like applying a bandage to an illness — if internal bleeding persists, the disease is far from cured," Belitšev said.
Currently, police can either escort the aggressive party to a sobering-up facility or issue a removal order for up to 12 hours. Belitšev believes that initial removal should be extended to at least 72 hours.
"That would give the victim time to gather their thoughts, get advice from victim support or a specialist and start making some life changes. Twelve hours isn't enough. You're still in shock and before you can do anything, the abuser is already back at the door," he explained.
Belitšev also noted that even when perpetrators are sentenced and handed conditional punishments with behavioral supervision, they are often still allowed to live at the same address as the victim, and the cycle continues. He said the unresolved issues go even deeper.
"There are only three or four therapists in Estonia who can work with perpetrators to change their behavior. And what about those with mental health issues, which is often part of the problem? Do they get the right treatment at the right time? Too often it just falls through the cracks or the person doesn't even recognize they need help."
According to Belitšev, Estonia sees around 10,000 domestic violence incidents annually — this year, over 7,000 in the first ten months alone. Roughly 1,000 of those involve repeat victims.
"That means many of these cases are recurring. And because access to systemic solutions is so limited, we're seeing the same situations play out year after year, without real change. People often ask why the victim doesn't just leave or end the relationship. We need to understand that these victims are often deeply dependent both emotionally and financially. There are cases where we convict someone and the victim themselves comes to us and says, 'What do you mean you're punishing him? If he's punished, that also affects my financial situation — I'll be in serious trouble too.' That kind of dependency is very common in domestic violence cases."
Belitšev also pointed to a striking contradiction between public opinion and what the data shows.
"A recent survey asked Estonians whether they understand what domestic violence is — 90 percent said yes. Nearly 90 percent also claimed they would intervene if they witnessed it, either by notifying someone or stepping in. But to me, those answers reflect an understanding of what the socially acceptable answer should be. In reality, police statistics show that about 90 percent of domestic violence reports come directly from victims. The number of bystanders who report something is minimal."
Belitšev concluded that if we don't actively resist violence, it will only grow. Breaking the cycle requires collective action, whether the issue is school bullying, domestic abuse or something else entirely.
"We have to notice it, report it and start to understand it within ourselves. As a society, we need to talk about all 10,000 incidents, not just the one tragic case that makes headlines."
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Editor: Urmet Kook, Marcus Turovski
