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Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime Geraldine Hanna said:
“My thoughts are first and foremost with the family and friends of Mary Ward and all of the women killed recently in Northern Ireland. I hope they are getting the support that they need in this difficult time.
“The number of murders of women over the past few weeks in Northern Ireland is a stark reminder of just how prevalent the problem of violence against women and girls is.
“This is a problem of a magnitude that must have the same response as organised crime and terrorism. It cannot be the responsibility of just one department of government or one agency, but requires effort from all of us.
“I understand concerns have been raised about the police response to this crime and I welcome the fact that the police have referred themselves to the police ombudsman.
“If mistakes have been made, we need to understand why and how and we must prevent them happening again in the future.
“Plans to end violence against women and girls need to be backed by significant resources from government and require a cross-departmental response.
“We cannot go on like this, our response must come from right across society and we must put an end to violence against women and girls.”