Half of the repeat domestic violent offenders put on intensive watch in an Australian-first policing initiative have been re-arrested, as the NSW Government gets tough on violence in the home.
The Domestic Violence Suspect Management Plan (II) initiative targets repeat domestic violence offenders, using the same monitoring regime police use to target repeat break and enter and robbery offenders.
After a successful five-month trial of the DVSMP(II) in the St George area and its statewide rollout in February this year, exactly half of the 642 domestic violence offenders put on the plans have been re-arrested, charged and put before the courts. Of those arrested, 240 alleged offenders or three quarters were also refused bail.
The DVSMP(II) initiative involves police identifying and putting repeat domestic violence offenders on these plans and then conducting overt checks and covert surveillance to ensure they are abiding by the law and not breaching their domestic violence orders.
Offenders do not know when police may be watching them or may next approach them, making them a powerful deterrent to violent behaviour.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Justice and Police Troy Grant said that the NSW Government is giving the police the resources they need to target domestic violence and put offenders on notice.
"Under Domestic Violence Suspect Management Plans, the suspects won’t know when they’ll be targeted next," Mr Grant said.
"What the suspects will know is that police have an intensive focus on stopping them from causing any more harm or perhaps even taking a life."
The NSW Government has committed $25 million over four years to rolling out High Risk Offender Teams in all six police regions and 24 additional domestic violence liaison officers to give victims of domestic violence the support they need.
