Investigating intimate violence: A problem of law

In 1995, domestic violence surfaced as a problem in Singapore. The awareness of the issue came in the form of the Family Violence Bill introduced to the Singapore Parliament that year. Fundamentally, the bill would give the police greater power to arrest an abuser without a warrant or court order, making it a seizable offence provided for by the Singapore Penal and Criminal Procedure Code. The state’s response was clear – it feared that the bill would introduce litigation at an early stage, leading to the disintegration of the family.