Peel Committee Against Woman Abuse. Continues……..If you are not living with your abusive partner.

If you are not living with your abusive partner: Change the locks on the doors and windows. Install a peephole in the door. (In my previous careers one of the problems with peepholes is that a perpetrator would be able to push it out and see inside). Change the locks on your garage and mailbox. Again children should not answer the doors themselves. Keep your restraining order with you always. Ensure the school, day care and police have copies of all court orders, including restraining orders, custody and access orders as well as a picture of the abusive partner. Can you predict the next likely violent incident? Be prepared. If you have call display be careful about who can get access to the stored numbers (eg. last number dialled). Have an unlisted number and ensure your own number is blocked when calling. Have pre-programmed numbers of people to call. Contact your local Victim Services to inquire about their supports for you. -Consider moving your furniture around differently, something your partner won’t anticipate (unless he reads this) and cause him to trip or bump into it which would alert you that someone is in your house. Put your kitchen utensils and knife block in the cupboards. If you live in an apartment, check the area when you come out of the elevator and walk towards your apartment. Alert security. Purchase rope ladders to escape from your elevator ( I would really raise this as a possible problem. You would already be scared and you don’t want to fall). Consider putting wires around your balcony (again check with the rules of your building). Replace wooden doors with steel/metal doors if possible (ensure the pins cannot be removed by the exterior). Install smoke detectors and fire extinguishers for each floor. Consider a guard dog. Install outside a lighting system which lights up when a person is coming close to your house. Install security systems. To be continued with In The Neighbourhood. A reminder that this was provided by the Peel Committee against Woman Abuse. I provided my own comments in brackets as a precaution to think about. Police Stations also have community support where you can go and ask questions.