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.
“We’ve seen an increase in the number of victims reporting family violence, which shows increased public confidence in reporting these types of crimes,” he said. “Our next step is targeting repeat offenders with another designated officer who can work with victims and has knowledge of support networks available in the area.”
As reported by the Weekly in March, police data showed assaults in Brimbank increased almost 10 per cent in 2011, while assaults excluding family violence were up 3.9 per cent. There were 1432 assault offences recorded, up from 1304 in 2010.
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 last 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.
She welcomed the addition of a specialised officer. “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 will be used on the frontline, patrolling Melton and Brimbank’s main business districts, including St Albans.
