Specialised workers support victims as part of Operation Amarok

As heavily-armed tactical response teams swoop on the worst of the worst domestic violence offenders, a group of 10 very special workers is waiting in the wings to support the terrified victims.

As heavily-armed tactical response teams sweep through Sydney suburbs and regional towns this week, a group of 10 very special workers are waiting in the wings.

They are the men and women who support terrified women and children left stunned after police storm their homes to catch “high-risk offenders”.

These victims need support as they realise they may finally be free.

This week marks the sixth Operation Amarok, the meticulously planned three-day assault on the worst of the worst domestic violence offenders.

The crack teams conduct simultaneous raids at dawn, disrupting the lives of the predators who ignore their court orders and bail conditions.

One of the state’s most high-risk domestic violence offenders is arrested in Western Sydney as part of February’s Operation Amarok V. Picture: NSW Police

They act on information from a team of experts who profile the most dangerous offenders, using analytics to crossmatch both incident response and victim-survivor information with contemporary offending patterns from more than 100,000 incidents NSW Police respond to each year.

Left in the wake are the battered wives, partners and children. That’s where the NSW Police Force and the Legal Aid’s Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Services step in.

After the success of a trial to have support workers placed at Kogarah, Fairfield, Griffith, Armidale, and Nowra police stations that started in 2022, the state government has provided more than $1 million to expand the program to five more stations.

Now women who attend Blacktown, Taree, Albury, Orange and Belmont or Toronto stations to report domestic violence will also have additional support.

The head of the force’s response to domestic violence, Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell, said the co-location pilot program provided “comprehensive, compassionate support during some of the most challenging moments of their lives”.

“It’s not just about immediate safety, it helps to put long-term support and plans in place,” he said.

“This initiative is designed to improve the reporting experience for victim-survivors, ensuring they have immediate access to necessary safety and support services right at the point of contact with police.”

The Operation Amarok team makes another arrest. Picture: NSW Police

One of the support workers said women who walk into police stations are usually at their breaking point.

“Some don’t want to be in a situation where the other party is charged but they want to break the cycle, so having a support worker at the station then and there, means they can get all the advice and support they need on the spot,” said Maria, who asked for her surname not to be used.

“I can only speak so highly about the program and the barriers that have been broken in relation to victim reporting has been an amazing and wonderful thing for victims.”

Maria said the service had already been an overwhelming success and she hoped it would be rolled out to every police station across the state.

“We will be on hand this weekend to help any victims who need support as part of Amarok,” she said.

Operation Amarok VI concludes tonight.