Officers from South Coast Police District are placing a strong focus on reducing domestic and family violence incidents across the community.
More than 220 apprehended violence order compliance checks have been conducted by officers from South Coast Police District since the start of the month, as police continue to target high-risk domestic-violence offenders.
Operation Making Families Safer 2020 commenced on Wednesday 1st April 2020, aimed at reducing and preventing domestic violence in the Southern Region as part of the NSW Police Force’s continued commitment to tackling domestic and family violence.
General duties police from South Coast Police District, assisted by specialist police from the Southern Region’s Domestic Violence High Risk Offender Team (DVHROT), Proactive Crime Team and Region Enforcement Squad (RES) have been involved in the operation, showing strong support for victims while also holding offenders accountable for their actions.
Police are closely monitoring the rates of domestic violence offending, and now have the ability to immediately increase the protective conditions of an existing AVO.
Police also have new legislative ability to extend the length of a provisional ADVO from 28 days up to a maximum of six months when required.
Of the 220 compliance checks, one breach has been detected resulting in the offender being charged and put before the court.
South Coast Police District Commander, Superintendent Greg Moore, said despite the current pandemic, domestic violence is still a crime and police will continue to exercise zero tolerance.
“Our officers are actively knocking on the doors of those known to police to keep perpetrators accountable for their actions and to show support for victims who often find themselves in vulnerable situations,” Supt Moore said.
“We understand and appreciate that these are trying times – but that does not change the fact that domestic violence is a criminal offence, and we’re not just talking about physical assaults; it includes verbal, psychological, mental and emotional abuse.
“Offenders who want to breach orders or continue their poor behaviour will be charged and put before the courts.
“This operation had some great results and is just one example of the positive change being led by our officers and other agencies in addressing domestic violence in the Southern Region and across the state,” Supt Moore said.
If you, or someone you know, is experiencing domestic or family violence, multiple services are available to provide immediate support.
Available services include:
• 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) is a confidential information, counselling and support service;
• NSW Domestic Violence Line (1800 65 64 63) is a statewide telephone crisis counselling and referral service for women;
• Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491) provide telephone counselling, information and referrals for men;
• Link2Home (1800 152 152) can help refer women experiencing domestic violence to crisis accommodation; and
• Lifeline (13 11 14) is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
If you are in danger or in an emergency, always contact Triple Zero (000).
