SA’s horrific hidden domestic violence toll revealed

POLICE are responding to surging reports of domestic violence across the state – up to 17 callouts a day in some areas. Explore the worrying data on a map of police local service areas.

• What frontline workers say is needed to stem the rate of violence
• The horrific figures: Eight women a day ending up in hospital
• How domestic violence is leading to epidemic of homelessness

POLICE are responding to surging reports of domestic violence across the state – up to 17 callouts a day in some areas. Explore the extent of the epidemic in your area below.

Advertiser.com.au can reveal SA Police responded to 29,814 incidents suspected to involve domestic violence in 2016-17 — a 60 per cent rise over two years.

The “deeply distressing” figures are a dramatic increase on the 18,665 incidents recorded in 2014-15.

The data breaks down “taskings” into SA Police’s 13 local service areas which cover metropolitan and regional areas.

The state’s Far North and York Mid North recorded the most dramatic increases in call outs - up 91 per cent and 86 per cent respectively.

Advocates have called for more resources to be devoted to prevention, through changing attitudes to women, and for more funds for frontline workers.

Political leaders have promised to respond and are working closely with experts to ensure support services are available where they are most needed.

Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval said SA Police also was responding and had developed new training courses for specialist domestic violence officers.

“Our tolerance for domestic violence is low. If we as an organisation didn’t look at ourselves and say, here’s how we can do it better, we’re not doing the right thing for the community,” he said.

The statistics relate to what police call a “tasking” — or a call out — which had been classified as possibly involving domestic violence, based on initial advice. They do not relate to the number of offences recorded involving domestic violence.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Harvey said the increase did not reflect a growth in family violence, but that the figures now provided a more accurate representation of the scale of the issue within the community.

Glenys Hayward. Picture: Supplied

Adeline Yvette Rigney-Wilson. Picture: Facebook

Police estimate a significant proportion were previously recorded as a “general disturbance” but, through community awareness and police training, more incidents were being identified as disturbances possibly involving domestic violence. Between 2014-15 and 2016-17 the number of general disturbance taskings dropped by 6318.

Mr Harvey said police also believed victims were more likely to come forward while the public was increasingly calling in when witnessing an incident.

Zahra Abrahimzadeh. Picture: Supplied

Jackie Ohide. Picture: Supplied

Mary Barry, chief executive of national organisation Our Watch, said the “deeply distressing” figures strongly emphasised the need for more primary prevention work.

“Given the complex and interrelated causes of violence against women and their children, it will take many years before gradual shifts in attitudes, behaviours and practices result in fewer incidences of violence at a whole of population level,” she said.

A positive takeaway from the figures was that the Elizabeth area — which has been over represented in data because it accounts for more than one in five taskings — recorded the smallest increase in percentage terms.

Jody Meyers. Picture: Supplied

Federal Status for Women Minister Kelly O’Dwyer said rates of domestic violence had remained “stubbornly stable” over more than a decade and it was “absolutely too high”.

The Federal Government had invested $30 million, as part of a $322 million commitment to women’s safety initiatives, in a campaign to break down the cycle by changing young people’s attitudes, she said.

Deputy Labor Leader Tanya Plibersek said reporting rates were “soaring”.

“We’re starting to see the true prevalence of family violence in our communities and it’s shocking,” she said. “We need to make sure frontline services and workers are properly funded and equipped to ensure make sure women can safely escape abusive relationships.”

Tanja Ebert. Picture: Supplied

Graziella Dailler.

Deputy Premier Vickie Chapman said the figures made it clear that “we need to take urgent action to address this problem”.

Ms Chapman said the Government already had started implementing a “strong plan” to tackle the issue including the domestic violence roundtable which met for the first time last week.

“This will include the planning for the expanded emergency accommodation services that we committed to during the election campaign,” she said.

SA Opposition spokeswoman Katrine Hildyard said women appeared to feel safer about coming forward but there were many other measures that must be taken to prevent violence from occurring.