A WOMEN’S support group hopes the addition of a domestic violence officer as part of a strengthened north-west police presence will give victims the confidence to speak out.
Twenty-three extra officers will be split between Sunshine, Keilor Downs, Melton and Caroline Springs as part of the allocation of 350 officers across the state.
Brimbank’s Acting Inspector Chris Gilbert said the additions would include a specialised family violence officer to work with domestic violence units targeting repeat offenders. A family violence unit will also be launched in Melton after figures revealed reports more than doubled from 165 in 2010 to 402 in 2011.
Melton’s Inspector Mario Fiorentino said the unit, headed by Acting Sergeant Chris Hughes, would work with victims of ongoing family violence and would be established within weeks.
He said officers would work with community partners, government agencies and service providers to break the cycle of family violence.
Women’s Health West family violence outreach co-ordinator Jelena Djurdjevic said she dealt with more than 1000 cases of domestic violence in Brimbank and Melton every year. There had been a 50 per cent increase in the rate of family violence in the west over the past year.
“Domestic violence overrides culture and socio-economics,” Ms Djurdjevic said.
“We see cases of women in crisis from all different backgrounds. By the time they are referred to us they are extremely distressed.”
She said population growth in Melton and Brimbank contributed to the increase. “We hope any additional police resources will increase the confidence of these victims to speak out.”
Women’s Health West connects victims with welfare networks and conducts preventive programs for men and women.
Acting Inspector Gilbert said the extra officers would provide flexibility for north-west stations. “We’ve had officers removed from stations to work on taskforces so the influx of officers will allow us to replace those now working away from their stations.” Other officers would be deployed to the frontline, patrolling Melton and Brimbank’s main business districts.
Women’s Health West: 9689 9588.
