Domestic violence charges in New South Wales have reached an all-time high, despite the rate of assaults recorded by police remaining relatively stable, data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows.
The proportion of domestic violence assaults resulting in a charge rose from 67% to 73% over the past two years, marking a sharp increase in the likelihood of offenders facing legal action.
Jackie Fitzgerald, the bureau’s executive director, said the most notable rise involved breaches of apprehended violence orders and intimidation offences.
“That’s a huge increase in the likelihood of being charged,” Ms Fitzgerald told AAP. “We’ve never had a rate of legal actions for DV as high as we currently have.”
She said technology allowing police to detect intimidation carried out over the phone, together with more proactive policing around domestic violence, had probably contributed to the increase.
Domestic violence charges in NSW reach record level
NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said the figures demonstrated that the state was becoming safer as a result of police work.
“There is always more work to do, and the (government) will continue to back NSW Police with the resources, laws, and technology they need to keep going after people who break our laws,” she said.
However, Ms Fitzgerald said it was not yet known how effective the approach would be in addressing domestic violence over the longer term.
“There’s a risk of re-victimisation close to when people come into contact with police, so there is a period of heightened threat for victims when they do report,” she said.
The data also showed increases in charges for driving offences and drug possession. The number of adults charged with driving offences, mainly driving while disqualified or suspended, rose by more than 15% in two years, while drug possession charges increased by a similar amount.
Ms Fitzgerald said those rises also appeared to reflect increased police detection rather than a rise in offending.
Adult court proceedings increased by 11.6% in two years, compared with average annual growth of 2.7% over the previous decade. The increase was recorded across every metropolitan and regional area of NSW.
