From the BBC:
A murder investigation has been launched after the body of a 22-year-old woman was found in south Belfast.
Mary Ward was found dead by police officers at her home on Melrose Street on 1 October.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said that following a review of its previous engagement with Ms Ward, the case has been referred to the office of the Police Ombudsman.
“Whilst at this time there is no suggestion of individual criminality or misconduct, we are nonetheless concerned about our organisational response,” a PSNI statement said.
Head of public protection branch, Det Ch Supt Fisher, said Ms Ward is the fourth woman to be murdered in Northern Ireland in the last six weeks.
“This is absolutely appalling,” she continued. “Four families have been shattered forever by meaningless violence.
“As a police service we recently revised our Tackling Violence against Women and Girls Action Plan and adopted the new national framework to align our response to this violence with that of terrorism and serious organised crime.
“The level of violence and loss in Northern Ireland demands nothing less.
“We are absolutely determined that we will be relentless in our pursuit of the perpetrators.”
Det Ch Insp Foreman, who is leading the major investigation team, added: “Our thoughts at this time are first and foremost with Mary’s loved ones, who have been devastated and are struggling to come to terms with this tragic loss.”
Police believe Ms Ward was last seen alive on 25 September.
They have appealed for anyone who may have seen or been in contact with her close or on that date to get in touch.
Depressing stuff. Northern Ireland always had low levels of ‘ordinary crime’, but lately, there does seem to be a lot more murders, assaults and other serious crimes.
We should not comment on the specifics of any open case. But, talking with community workers, they say that abuse of illegal drugs, prescription drugs and alcohol is at an all-time high across Northern Ireland. Social services are overwhelmed, underfunded and on their knees.
There is a general air of despair, and many people here live chaotic lives of addiction and high stress.
This is not to excuse these horrendous crimes, but it is essential to understand that social and environmental factors contribute to abuse and violence.
Also, while it is true that men are still the primary victims of crime (and the main perpetrators), men also make up a third of domestic abuse victims (many think the actual figure is underreported) we should avoid descending into male vs female arguments.
Our modern world is horrendously stressful for everyone, and people are cracking; I don’t know what the answer is.
I was watching this video last night of how the drug Mephedrone is sweeping Eastern Europe. My main thought was some new drug is going to hit Northern Ireland, and it’s going to devastate this place. Not a cheery thought, I know.
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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