Abstract:
This article canvasses the legal issues faced by women who sue for negligentfailure by the police to act on complaints ofdomestic violence or the breach ofa protection order. Accordingly, it examines whether the police could owe a duty ofcare to a woman who is the target ofdomestic violence, and, if so, whether their breach of that duty could be held to have caused her harm if the pelpetrator subsequently injures her. Finally, the article briefly spotlights the obstacles to such litigation in New Zealand because ofthe Accident Compensation Scheme.
