Ms Debra Kirby:

If I may, I might add that because one is talking about volume crime in respect of domestic violence in particular, initially that first responder needs to be trained up. Moreover, he or she needs to be providing an adequate level of service across all of Ireland. Consequently, a lot of our focus is on the follow-up, which is where one can enable and create greater opportunities for follow-through on safety for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

It is not an either-or situation. One's front-line responders need to be invested in and trained up to a level for their level of response and then the specialised units are able to respond because there might be a time lag or delay and one needs to ensure that the pass-offs are seamless and that victims are supported not only from the initial report but as the investigation is ongoing.