Rodney Stevens

Rates of Domestic and Family Violence in the Coffs Clarence Police District were 1.8 times the state average between April 2023 and March 2024 according to the latest data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research BOCSAR.

As Domestic and Family Violence is a serious problem in NSW that impacts many families, BOCSAR have set up a new online resource with statistics, information, data, and links to publications and reports on the issue.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics ABS Personal Safety Survey 2021-2022 an estimated 1.5 per-cent of Australian women age over 18 had experienced violence by an intimate partner in the past 12 months.

The survey also found 1 in 4 women (27 per-cent) and 1 in 8 men (12 per-cent) in Australia had experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15.

Over the 5 years from July 2019 to June 2024 the number of Domestic and Family Violence related assaults recorded by police in NSW rose by 5,444, from 31,888 to 37,332, with officers from the Coffs Clarence Police District stating Domestic and Family Violence related incidents are up to 60 per-cent of their responses.

In the Coffs Clarence Police District, the 10-year trend for Domestic and Family Violence related assault is growing at 5.7 per-cent, with 1,185 incidents reported to police in the 12 months to June 2024.

NSW Police data has been used to identify the victims and offenders of Domestic and Family Violence related assaults which shows that 1 in 10 victims are young people, 3 in 5 are women and Aboriginal women are 8 times more likely to be a victim.

While 1 in 10 Domestic and Family Violence assault offenders are young people, 3 in 4 offenders are men and 7 in 10 incidents result in legal action.

Over the four years from June 2020 to June 2024, the number of Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders ADVOs in force in NSW has grown from 66,008 to 100,111, while over the same period the number of breaches of ADVO’s had been slightly declining.

The website also highlights the new offence of Coercive Control, which was introduced in NSW on July 1, 2024, and applies to behaviour from that date.

“The offence of coercive control relates to the use of abusive behaviours directed towards a current or former intimate partner with the intention to coerce or control them,” the website states.

“The criminal offence captures repeated patterns of physical or non-physical abuse used to hurt, scare, intimidate, threaten or control someone. “

Coercive Control incidents include controlling behaviour such as harassment, monitoring or tracking, shaming, degrading or humiliating, threats or intimidation, financial abuse, and social isolation or cultural abuse.

For more information, or to access data or download reports on Domestic and Family Violence in NSW visit https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/topic-areas/domestic-violence.html