Alcohol and domestic violence in a sample of incidents reported to the police of Zurich City.

The purpose of the study is to examine episodes of domestic violence reported to the police, focusing on the drinking behavior of the individuals involved. Over a period of 110 days, (November 1999-February 2000) a total of 53 calls to the emergency line of the police of the city of Zurich (Switzerland), related to domestic violence, were registered. Detailed data concerning the forms of violence, the persons involved, their alcohol intake, and the context of the incidents were collected in 42 cases by means of structured interviews of the officers who achieved the interventions and inquiries. Moreover, interviews by agreement of victims were performed in 12 cases, providing complementary data. Evidence of alcohol involvement was found in 40% of the investigated situations. Police officers thus believed there was a clear link between alcohol and violence in at least 26% of the 42 cases. The interviews of the victims suggest a wide range of attributions made to the role of alcohol in situations of domestic violence.