Apprehended violence order (AVO) rates double on Central Coast
The Central Coast is fast overtaking Blacktown as the apprehended violence order (AVO) capital of greater Sydney. The reason might surprise you.
The rate of domestic apprehended violence orders (AVOs) on the Central Coast has more than doubled in the past four years.
It comes as the coast has overtaken Blacktown for personal AVOs for the second consecutive year.
The coast is quickly staking its claim as the AVO capital of greater Sydney and — as night follows day — the number of AVO breaches is also on the rise.
Police have attributed the rise in AVOs to greater awareness by victims of the protections the orders afford them, with the increase in breaches put down to stricter AVO conditions and more “compliance checks”.
Blacktown has long held the unwanted title of having the highest number and rate of personal and domestic AVOs across greater Sydney.
However new data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) shows the coast overtook Blacktown in 2017 with a rate of 76.1 personal AVOs per 100,000 population compared to the south west Sydney area’s 56.2 AVOs.
And while personal AVOs fell slightly on the coast to a rate of 67.7 last year, it remained higher than Blacktown’s rate of 59.2.
More alarmingly, while the rate of domestic AVOs in Blacktown has increased steadily by 18.7 per cent in the four years to 2018, on the coast the rate of domestic AVOs has more than doubled in the same period.
The rate per 100,000 population of domestic AVOs has increased from 393.2 in 2014 to 613.9 in 2018 — a spike of 56 per cent.
The increase sees the number (1822) and rate (613.9) of domestic AVOs granted on the coast last year come within a whisker of Blacktown’s 1887 domestic AVOs and its rate of 623.9.
BOCSAR figures show the number of AVO breaches in Blacktown have remained stable in the past two years, with a moderate increase of 3.6 per cent in the past five years.
Meanwhile on the coast AVO breaches have increased by 8.2 per cent in the past two years and are up 7.9 per cent over the past five years.
The reasons
Tuggerah Lakes Police District crime manager Chief Inspector Glenn Trayhurn said local officers conducted “one of, if not the highest” number of AVO compliance checks.
“We get a lot of breaches as a result of that,” he said.
Chief Insp Trayhurn said police were also more proactive when applying for AVOs on behalf of victims and included more conditions, such as no contact within 12 hours of drinking alcohol or not going within a certain distance of the protected person.
“The more conditions you place on them, the more breaches,” he said.
Overall Chief Insp Trayhurn said there was a lot more attention around domestic violence and the ongoing support of victims.
“I think it’s just more awareness now of the protections they (AVOs) afford victims,” he said.
Central Coast Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service co-ordinator Vanessa Molles said they received about 600 referrals a month.
She said the increase was twofold in that more people were applying for domestic AVOs, while police were also more proactive in taking out AVOs on behalf of victims.
“We’re also seeing it spoken about, people are becoming more aware,” she said.
Ms Molles said people were becoming more aware of AVOs.
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