Deputy Police Director General Kristi Mäe says the new regulation has been beneficial for police. Restraining orders have been applied in 142 cases. In the past month, 1/5 of cases involved 72-hour orders. In another quarter of cases, the order was for 48 hours.
Mäe says the longer restraining order works well. Violence does not recur as often. Police used longer orders in two examples. In one case in Southern Estonia in August, a man became violent towards his wife. Police imposed a 72-hour order against him.
The second example was in May in Tallinn. A man threw his wife out of their home. Police also imposed a 72-hour order on this man. This helped the woman return home safely.
Pärnu Women's Shelter director Margo Orupõld says the legislative change has not yet reached everyone. Shelter clients are not always aware whether police have imposed a restraining order or not.
Orupõld also discusses the rise in psychological violence. Police often cannot intervene in such cases due to lack of evidence. Additionally, the woman may not give statements later. Police cannot resolve the case without the woman's help.
Head of the NGO Women's Support and Information Center Pille Tsopp-Pagan says shelters in Tartu County and Põlva County have not yet noticed the impact of longer restraining orders. Perhaps victims have not yet reached the shelters. Tsopp-Pagan says the number of people needing emergency shelter has not decreased compared to before.
Kristi Mäe says police do not know how often restraining orders are violated. Police want to implement stricter measures for violations in the future. Mäe says Estonia can become even better and continuous training is necessary.