Horrifying figures show rise in domestic violence in SA

MORE than 7700 South Australians were the victim of family violence last year and 16 people were killed, or were the victim of an attempted murdered, by a partner or family member, new figures show.

• Police called to 18,000 domestic violence incidents in one year
• Thousands of women seek protection in SA from violence
• Push to use police videos in domestic violence cases
• Alarming rise in breaches of intervention orders

MORE than 7700 South Australians were the victim of family violence last year, new figures show.

Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal the extent of domestic violence in this state, as 456 out of every 100,000 residents grapple with violence in their home.

According to the ABS the number of domestic violence victims in SA increased from about 6720 in 2014 to 7740 last year.

There were 12 women and four men who were murdered, or were the victim of an attempted murder, by a partner or family member last year, up from 12 in 2014.

Women were shown to be three times more likely than men to be experience domestic violence.

Young boys were more often the victim of a sexual assault than girls in childhood, while women were more likely to be victimised in their teenage and older years.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women continue to be overrepresented in the statistics.

The ABS report, released Wednesday, also showed:

PHYSICAL assaults rose eight per cent to 17,270 and sexual assaults reached a six-year high of 1590.

FOUR out of five sexual assault victims in SA knew their attacker.

MORE than 90 per cent of kidnapping victims nationally are female and most are aged in their 20s and 30s.

VEHICLE thefts in SA fell 3.1 per cent to 3217 in 2015 and robberies fell by 23 per cent, or 170 victims — to the lowest level since 2010.

Opposition Deputy Leader Vickie Chapman said the domestic violence figures showed it was necessary to maintain opening hours at police stations to ensure victims could seek help.

Reforms planned by SA Police will reduce opening hours at many stations.

“A police station is often the first place a victim of violent assault looks for,” Ms Chapman said.

“The Weatherill Government’s dramatic reduction in the operating hours of Adelaide’s police stations will deny victims of violent assault that refuge when it is needed most.

“It is outrageous to expect young mothers with children to venture into Hindley Street to seek police assistance in the middle of the night.”

Police Minister Peter Malinauskas said decisions about operational policing “should be made by the experts not by the Liberal party”.

“Changing the administrative hours of some police stations will see more police officers committed to frontline policing duties,” he said.

“When a matter is urgent, police patrols attend the location of the victim or caller.”

For help phone the Domestic Violence Crisis Service on 1300 782 200. In an emergency phone police on 000.