By Aneeka Simonis
INTERVENTION orders are increasingly failing to protect victims of domestic abuse in the neighbourhood.
Police crime statistics show a steady increase in the rate of recorded family violence order breaches in the Cardinia Shire area, most of which are threatening enough to be ’flagged’ within the crime category.
Worryingly, breaches against family violence orders – which seek to protect the victim – make up 71 per cent of all recorded family violence incidents recorded in Cardinia Shire in the 12 months to March this year.
Police statistics indicate 1484 family violence incidents were recorded, and 1056 related to offences where a domestic abuser has breached an order set up to protect their victim.
The crime statistics indicate 1037 breaches were significant enough to be ‘flagged’, meaning the victim was subjected to some form of violence despite the protection order.
The rate of flagged breach offences is up 16 per cent on the previous 12-month period, according to the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) data.
In 2015, more than 50 per cent of all family violence incidents recorded related to breaches to victim protection orders.
Pakenham police Senior Sergeant Graeme Stanley said an increase in recorded protection order breaches did not necessarily mean more victims were being reviolated by their abuser.
Instead, he attributed the rise to increased manpower at the Cardinia Family Violence Unit, now a seven-member team operating out of the Pakenham Police Station.
Sergeant Richard Dawson, who heads the family violence dedicated unit, said a shakeup of the unit’s operational targets a few months back saw officers turn their focus largely onto recidivist offenders in an effort to drive down re-offending rates.
Historically, data shows domestic abuse is more likely to be perpetrated by a repeat offender rather than by one-time offenders.
He reported significant decreases in recidivism rates in the shire in the last three months.
Though the Gazette has no hard figures yet, it was reported recidivism rates have dropped by about 14 per cent in recent months in the shire at a forum working to drive down rates of family violence in homes in the area.
Sgt Dawson attributed forward strides in the region’s fight against family violence to an ’accelerated justice’ program being trailed exclusively in Cardinia Shire, Casey and Greater Dandenong through the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court.
It works off a pro-arrest, pro-remand policy where violent offenders are brought before court the same day that they offend.
If not immediately, alleged offenders are bailed to appear before the court within the next seven days, Sgt Dawson said.
“It’s about immediacy. Their actions are being held to account quickly and consequences are swift,” he said.
Recidivism statistics show 60 per cent of family violence victim reports in Cardinia between April 2015 – March 2016 related to a repeat victim, up four per cent on the previous year.
Some 66 per cent related to a repeat perpetrator, also up three per cent on the previous 12-month period.
Data also shows police have been issuing more family violence safety notices.
About 14 per cent of incidents resulted in the issue of a safety notice to the perpetrator in the 12-month period, barring them from contacting their victim in any way including through social media.
It’s a slight increase on the previous two years.
The data provided is up to date until March 2016.
The Cardinia Family Violence Unit has processed over 250 offenders since September last year.
The CSA listed non-flagged breaches as including cases where the offender breaches conditions including restrictions on attending the victim’s home or blacklisted venues, or failing to report to police as required.
Police who attend ‘flagged’ family violence incidents are required to fill out a six-page form detailing the abuse, possible vulnerability factors including pregnancy or isolation and previous threats against the victim that are stored into a police managed casefile.
It also records service referrals made and safety plan recommendations.
