Police say the big jump in domestic violence incidents they attended at the weekend has subsided this week.
Overnight on Saturday there were 74 family harm events reported in Canterbury.
But overnight Sunday the number had dropped to 42. the trend had continued around that number through this week.
Before the lockdown on average there were about 30 family harm events a day, said Detective Senior Sergeant Neville Jenkins.
But he warned this weekend, if it followed the same pattern as Saturday, could see more reports of domestic violence.
Said Detective Senior Sergeant Jenkins: "The police are pretty happy with the way family harm is trending. It's definitely high average but the spike last Saturday/Sunday hasn't repeated itself and I think that it appears that families are taking responsibility for families.
"Our concern would be that some of the victims of family harm that are in abusive relationships, or having trouble now that the lockdown's there, don't get the opportunity to report with the offender around."
He said explanations of why family harm events have been above average in the first week of lockdown may include people not being unable to fuel their drug habits or struggling for money.
"There could be 100 different stresses and triggers," said Detective Senior Sergeant Jenkins.
He said if people know someone in their family is experiencing abuse, it is important they maintain regular contact with them to allow them to talk if they need help.
It is important people report family harm incidents to police as much as possible during the lockdown, said Detective Senior Sergeant Jenkins.
He said services other than police are also still available during the lockdown for victims of family harm to get support. These include the Battered Women's Trust, the Ministry of Social Development and Oranga Tamariki, all of which can be accessed by phone, email, or online.
Battered Women's Trust- Ph: 0800 REFUGE (733843) or 03 364 8900
