The social deputy of the police force said due to the presence of social workers at police stations, more than 70% of the lawsuits “are settled out of court and thus never reach the point of formal adjudication.”
Brigadier General Said Montazerolmahdi said this shows that most of the legal disputes are over petty issues.
He told ILNA that counseling centers have been set up in 600 police stations. ‘’Creating chances for dialogue among disputing families and awareness on social norms as well as communication skills instead of confrontation, helps resolve many problems,’’ he noted.
He added that what the social workers are trying to achieve is based on the same advice recommended by Sigmund Freud (now known as father of psychoanalysis) 100 years ago and that is: ‘’to lend an ear to the person giving vent to his or her feelings.’’ In this way, people let out their anger and are therefore relieved. The same procedure can be applied among disputing parties to prevent many problems, he maintained.
Legal Advice
The social workers on duty at police stations work in teams and have majored in a psychology-related field. Montazerolmahdi emphasized the need for services of counselors and said their help is not just psychological; people who go to police stations can benefit from legal advice too, he noted.
There are also servers available at police stations for users to ask questions from counselors based in police centers. “Now that people have conferred their trust on the police, we intend to maintain that reputation,’’ he added.
