Intimate partner violence in a police setting. Offender characteristics and typologies found within reported cases from Funen Police

Abstract: Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious problem, and the consequences extend beyond the physical damage that may occur. Police officers are often first responders, why it is important that they possess awareness and skills that facilitate them to identify IPV and the characteristics for the involved parties, in order to reduce further consequences and escalation. Aim: The aim of this thesis was to explore offender characteristics and typologies of IPV as it occurs within police reports from Funen police district, and to discuss how this information can be used in a police setting. Method: A random sample of 400 reported cases of violence were coded, and 60 reported intimate partner violence cases were identified. Descriptive statistics and a two-step clustering were used to explore the 60 cases of IPV. Results: Overall, it was found, that the offenders of the reported IPV cases in Funen's police are in accordance with studies of offenders of IPV in other contexts. A typology was developed from the clusters which resulted in three different offender types; generally violent, alcohol-related violent and family violent. These clusters also resemble groups found in previous studies. Discussion: The results can be used to give an insight into how IPV occurs in the police district, and form a basis for the understanding and developing of the prioritization of the phenomenon. However, the descriptions and typologies are to be understood as a snapshot and the results are not universal or a general description of IPV, why further and deeper investigations will be necessary.