'He threatened to kill her and I believed he was actually going to do it…”

In a video released to mark White Ribbon Day last Friday, Sergeant Tania Kingi talks frankly about the family violence which inspired her to join police.

The video premiered at a White Ribbon breakfast hosted by Police Commissioner Mike Bush at Police National Headquarters, where Tania was among the speakers.

'Coming from a violent home myself, I have seen the devastating effects it had, and is still having on my family,” she says.

'I get that it can be a challenge to leave because my Mum tried numerous times before she finally got away from my Dad.

'I know personally that it's not just as simple as walking out the door. It's far more complicated and I understand that these challenges can stop people from asking for help.”

On White Ribbon Day, police staff around the country join with their communities to make a stand against violence against women.

The White Ribbon campaign plays an important role in achieving change by sending men the message that violence against women is never okay, and encouraging them to take the White Ribbon pledge(link is external).