Against reports of “skyrocketing” domestic violence in Brimbank, the merger of two Victoria Police family violence units has led to fewer repeat offenders in the area, according to a senior policewoman.
The Crime Statistics Agency’s latest statistics for the year to March 31 reveal a 16.1 per cent annual rise in the number of family violence incidents reported to Brimbank police.
But Senior Sergeant Helen Chugg, who co-ordinates the newly created family violence unit at Caroline Springs, said she had witnessed a recent reduction in the percentage of recidivist family violence offenders.
In March, Senior Sergeant Chugg had the Keilor Downs and Melton family violence units co-located to Caroline Springs to deal with an increasing caseload. The team deals with, on average, more than 400 family violence incidents a month.
Senior Sergeant Chugg said that since the merger, the number of repeat family violence offenders had gone down because police had been able to engage more closely with offenders.
Chief executive of Women’s Health West Robyn Gregory said the new Caroline Springs family violence unit had meant better management of high-risk cases.
“The family violence referrals from police had skyrocketed, she said, with 1122 referrals in May for the western metro region. “
She said the trend could be due to factors including more public discourse that family violence was unacceptable.
