Key Points
- Reported incidents of domestic violence have more than doubled in NSW over the past 10 years.
- The spike has been attributed to a change in the way authorities respond to the crime.
This article contains references to domestic and family violence.
Reported incidents of domestic and family violence have more than doubled in NSW over the past 10 years, with the spike attributed to a change in the way authorities respond to the crime.
A report by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) released on Thursday revealed domestic and family violence incidents recorded by the police in the decade up to 2021 increased by 110 per cent, from 8,120 to 17,063.
The incidents typically involved threats, intimidation, and verbal abuse.
BOCSAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said the rates of stalking and intimidation offences had substantially increased across all parts of the criminal justice system.
"It's possible that more people are coming forward to report this crime," she told SBS News.
"But I think there's no question that when these incidents come to police attention, they're now being recorded as a crime, whereas possibly in the past, they weren't so much."
Police had upped legal proceedings by 164 per cent, court actions increased 64 per cent, and prison sentences doubled.
"There's definitely a proactive policy amongst police to respond to domestic violence incidents with seriousness," Ms Fitzgerald said.
The report said the impact of law enforcement taking domestic and family violence more seriously was "particularly pronounced" for First Nations people.
Legal proceedings against Indigenous people for stalking and intimidation offences increased 274 per cent between 2012 and 2021.
In 2021, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accounted for 28 per cent of NSW domestic and family violence court cases and more than half (52 per cent) of prison sentences. Of the 272 adults in prison for domestic stalking and intimidation in December, more than a third were Indigenous.
"That, of course, is really significant in terms of our efforts to reduce the Aboriginal prison population," Ms Fitzgerald said.
"We've got, on one hand, strategies to try to move Aboriginal people out of prison, but initiatives like this, which are potentially protective of domestic violence victims, do have a consequence for Aboriginal people."
Approximately one in 10 (9.1 per cent) NSW victim-survivors of domestic and family violence in 2021 were First Nations people.
Ms Fitzgerald said, "the jury's still out" as to whether NSW law enforcement's pivot to a "zero-tolerance approach" to domestic and family violence is actually making people safer.
"If this proactive policy results in increased safety, then, of course, it's a good thing," she said.
"We don't quite know that yet."
Additional reporting by Claire Slattery and Amy Hall.
If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
The Men’s Referral Service provides advice for men on domestic violence and can be contacted on 1300 766 491.
