Gold Coast Police receive more complaints about choking than anywhere else in Queensland

Gold Coast Police receive one choking complaint every three days. Here are the statistics.

THE Gold Coast is winning an unenviable title as the choking, suffocating and strangling capital of Queensland.

But Gold Coast police are claiming it is a result of them targeting offenders under new laws that come down hard on domestic violence.

Last financial year 142 complaints were made to police about choking on the Gold Coast. The Sunshine Coast was second with 109, South Brisbane and the Far North had 96, Townsville had 90 and North Brisbane had 88.

Woman being strangled gasping for air

Non-fatal strangulation became a criminal offence in April 2016 following a recommendation from a special taskforce on domestic violence headed by former governor-general Dame Quentin Bryce.

Strangulation attacks, in which victims fear they could die, can result in strokes and brain injury. Previously, offenders were charged with the lowest level of assault.

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Woman strangling man

The Gold Coast Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce was established in January 2016 in response to several tragic incidents, including the deaths of Tara Brown and Karina Lock within 48 hours in September 2015.

Since then there has been a spike in the reporting of domestic violence incidents.

“The taskforce conducts daily audits and compliance checks on all DFV (domestic and family violence) reports, ensuring offences are fully ­investigated for successful prosecutions,” a taskforce spokeswoman said.

“Statistics demonstrate victims of DFV are accessing their right to protection and safety and are gaining the courage and confidence in the system to report incidents to police.”