Peer-reviewed article
Recognising domestic violence against children by the competent police officers
Aleksandra Spasojević, Zoran Đurđević ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study surveyed 46 police officers in Vojvodina, Serbia about their ability to recognise risk indicators of domestic violence against children. Police officers identified unfavourable parental behaviour and externalized behavioural problems in children as the most common warning signs, while sexualized behaviour was rarely recognised as an indicator. The research found that most officers believed specialised training and certification in working with minors should be mandatory, though half the sample lacked such certification.
Key points
- 80% of respondents identified unfavourable parental behaviour as the most frequent parental risk indicator for violence against children
- 48% of respondents recognised externalized behavioural problems in children as an indicator that always appears and points to violence
- Sexualized behaviour was the least commonly recognised indicator (63% said it rarely occurs), reflecting that sexual abuse is assessed as the rarest form of violence
- About half of respondents identified excessive reactions to mistakes as the most common indicator of psychological violence
- 61% believed competent police officers should possess a certificate for working with minors, but 48% of the sample did not have one
Limitations
This is a small survey of police officers' perceptions in one region of Serbia, not a measurement of actual child protection outcomes or the accuracy of officers' risk recognition in real cases. The study does not evaluate whether officers' identified indicators actually predict violence or whether training improves case outcomes.
Abstract
The paper presents risk indicators for domestic violence against children, concerning both parents and children, as well as an analysis of data obtained from a sample of 46 competent police officers in Vojvodina with the aim of identifying these indicators. Eighty percent of respondents considered unfavourable parental behaviour to be the most frequent parental risk indicator for the occurrence of violence against children. Externalized behavioural problems in children were seen by 48% of respondents as a risk indicator in children that always appears and points to violence. The least common, or rarely occurring indicator, is the sexualized behaviour of the child (according to 63% of respondents), which is justified considering that sexual abuse of a child is also assessed as the rarest form of violence against children. About half of the respondents identified excessive reactions from the child when they make a mistake or are pointed out for a mistake as the most common indicator of psychological violence in child victims. Although the data analysis did not show statistically significant differences in the results concerning the possession of a certificate for working with minors, 61% of respondents believed that competent police officers should also possess this certificate. Since the respondents highlighted this need as the greatest systemic hindrance in the work of child protection, and since about half of the officers (22) in this sample did not possess this certificate, the authors emphasize the opinion that competent police officers, as well as other police officers, should be specially trained for working with minors.