“Why White Ribbon Day Matters”…A Police Officer Who Has Experienced The Dark Side Of Domestic Violence

“He threatened to kill her and I believed he was actually going to do it…”

In a video released today to mark White Ribbon Day, Sergeant Tania Kingi talks frankly about the family violence which inspired her to join Police.

The video premiered this morning at a White Ribbon breakfast hosted by Police Commissioner Mike Bush at Police National Headquarters, where Tania was among the speakers.

“Coming from a violent home myself I have seen the devastating effects it had, and is still having on my family,” she says.

“I get that it can be a challenge to leave because my Mum tried numerous times before she finally got away from my Dad.

“I know personally that it’s not just as simple as walking out the door. It’s far more complicated and I understand that these challenges can stop people from asking for help.”

On White Ribbon Day, Police staff around the country are joining with their communities to make a stand against violence against women.

Social media users can get an insight into the enormity of the problem today by following the Twitter handle https://twitter.com/WhiteRibbonNZP.

Check out the New Zealand Police Facebook page where we will post photos of events as we receive them.

And we note that the staff at The Warehouse are giving away and wearing White Ribbons in support of this campaign.