MELBOURNE, VIC. — The state’s most notorious recidivist family violence perpetrators are relentlessly being pursued by Victoria Police, with 230 arrests made during a recent major blitz.
The offenders – many actively evading authorities – were tracked down and apprehended by police across multiple days throughout September and October in Victoria Police’s North-West Metro Region.
Detectives from the Westgate Family Violence Investigation Unit and Broadmeadows Family Violence Investigation Unit teamed up to lead the blitz, with the Family Violence Command Taskforce and the Public Order Response Team.
Those arrested have allegedly committed multiple violent crimes against current and former partners and their children.
They include assaults and threats as well as harassment and technology-facilitated abuse.
The blitz focused on repeat family violence perpetrators who are known to offend on multiple occasions across a 12-month period and specialist support services were also engaged, helping to disrupt patterns of violence.
Some have blackmailed victims into keeping their whereabouts secret, have multiple outstanding warrants and are flouting family violence safety notices and family violence intervention orders.
Those arrested include:
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- A 42-year-old man who was wanted by police after failing to appear in court for serious family violence offending. The man has been remanded in custody to face court this month;
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- A 35-year-old man who allegedly committed a family violence-related aggravated burglary. He was arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court. The man has been remanded in custody to appear in court in December;
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- A 42-year-old woman who allegedly assaulted another woman at a shopping centre. The woman has been charged and bailed to face court next month;
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- An 18-year-old man who allegedly committed multiple counts of deception and damaged his parents’ property. The man has been remanded in custody to face court today;
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- A 37-year-old man who allegedly persistently contravened a family violence intervention order. The man has been remanded in custody to face court next month.
Police also served 187 family violence intervention orders and executed more than 120 outstanding warrants throughout the blitz.
In just two days of the blitz, police door-knocked on more than 80 properties to enforce actions against perpetrators.
Victoria Police regularly conducts operations of this kind on top of the tireless work of frontline police to arrest family violence offenders and bring them before the courts.
It forms part of the force’s ongoing commitment to hold perpetrators to account and ensure the safety of victim-survivors.
Statewide, police arrest one family violence perpetrator every 17 minutes.
If you or someone close to you discloses they are a victim of family violence, please believe them and encourage them to contact police or a support service.
Men’s Referral Service 1300 766 491.
Safe Steps 1800 015 188.
Triple Zero (000). If you can’t get to a phone, ask someone else to do it for you.
