Griffith police’s domestic violence liaison officer has welcomed a new measure designed to put repeat offenders behind bars.
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Suspect Target Management Plans (STMP) will allow police to target repeat domestic violence offenders. STMPs had been previously used to target repeat robbery and break-and-enter offenders in NSW and allowed police to actively monitor persons of interest.
Senior constable Melissa Hoffman said domestic violence was a “zero-tolerance” offence.
“Statistics show that in general, a victim will experience up to 24 incidents of domestic violence before they report it,” she said.
“STMPs have been used for high-risk offenders where there is a risk to community safety.
“Domestic violence offenders are now considered to be in that category.”
In NSW, police respond to more than 140,000 incidents of domestic and family violence per year, which equates to about 400 cases every day.
An extensive process was developed during a recent trial of the new SMTP program in Sydney. NSW Premier Mike Baird said the trial saw nine out of 13 high-risk offenders being charged, with almost a third being put behind bars. The Premier had made it a priority to reduce the rate of domestic and family violence reoffending within 12 months by five per cent by 2019.
“Suspect targeting identifies high-risk domestic violence offenders and places them on notice,” Mr Baird said.
“This approach complements the work already being carried out to support victims of domestic violence.”
Senior constable Hoffman said STMPs took the pressure off the victims of violence and held offenders accountable for their actions.
“When we put someone on an STMP we go and tell them they’ve been identified as a repeat offender and will be monitored,” she said.
“The offender is also told any offence, regardless of what type, will be dealt with thoroughly and warnings won’t be considered appropriate.
“We also make it clear that it is a police initiative and the victim has no part in it.”
STMPs are just one part of the NSW Government’s $60 million package announced last year for domestic and family violence, aimed at reducing re-offending, preventing violence and supporting victims.
Member for Murray Adrian Piccoli called domestic violence an insidious crime and said the NSW Government was supporting victims and targeting perpetrators to stop the violence and keep victims safe.
“Sadly, too many people in our community suffer domestic and family violence at the hands of someone they know and trust,” Mr Piccoli said.
