The connection between the abuse of animals and human violence, called ‘the Link’, is now incontrovertible, but application of this concept in Europe has been almost absent. We are working with the RSPCA who are now referring animal abuse incidents which suggest association with child abuse issues. From these referrals, 86% of them identified child protection issues previously unknown to authorities. We are seeking to provide ‘Risk Assessment’ protocols which can dramatically increase the number of referrals. Given that RSPCA received 129,000 abuse reports last year, the potential for discovering ‘hidden’ abuse is of a frightening magnitude across England and Wales.
Our initiative has now attracted the attention of the College of Policing, whose DASH Risk Assessment is available for use by all front line police officers. Also interest in our initiative has been expressed by SCAS, the primary crime prevention unit of the UK National Crime Agency. It has also invited RSPCA collaboration with the National Probation Service. In Italy, Link Italia have been successful with a similar formalised process where the judiciary are now evaluating animal abusers for ‘Dangerousness’ in the human domain. This has resulted in increased sentencing and appropriate remedial action.
The LINK has arrived in Europe and is now informing authorities about new possibilities to identify abuse, violence and crime. Given the number of animal abuse incidents across Europe and the possibility of many of those being symptomatic of human violence and aggression, if 86% of these referrals were to find children living in the darkness of abuse and women in silent misery, the potential numbers which could be found, would challenge the imagination.