They want the violence to stop, but they do not want their husbands or partners arrested or incarcerated. Alternatives to arrest could be intervention at the community level, with other men telling the abusive male that what he is doing is wrong. Arrest can make things worse. A police presence can lead to an escalation of violence in the short term. The impact of police arrest is extremely variable, depending upon the context of the abuse.
Economic status has a tremendous effect.
With recent changes in welfare policy, women can't escape violence anymore. It is easier for men to get away with abuse. In reasoning that men abuse because they can get away with it, economic dependency makes it easier for men to do so. Race has an impact as well. Mandatory arrest is universally applied in the province, rather, it is left to the discretion of individual officer who responds to an assault call.