Family violence support services brace for Christmas spike

FAMILY violence is set to spike this Christmas, with support services already battling surging demand, despite a drop in the number of cases being reported to police.

Support services are predicting an increase in family violence cases over the holiday period. Source: iStock / Getty Images

FAMILY violence is set to spike this Christmas despite a drop in the number of cases being reported to police.

Victoria Police has revealed it expects an extra 1000 reports this month and next.

Support services are already battling surging demand.

Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre chief executive Annette Gillespie said the service fielded about 15,650 calls for help last Christmas.

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The figure was up 54 per cent on the previous year.

“Partly, this is just a practical situation where you have more family contact and a perpetrator has more access to a victim,’’ Ms Gillespie said.

“Where violence is already perpetrated, it will escalate as a result of alcohol or substance abuse.”

Support services are predicting an increase in family violence cases over the holiday period. Source: iStock / Getty Images

Last financial year, Safe Steps dealt with more than 90,000 calls, up 46 per cent on the previous 12 months.

Just 40 per cent of clients had made contact with police.

“The volume of work we are having to respond to is increasing significantly — we are completely overwhelmed with demand,’’ Ms Gillespie said.

But Crime Statistics Agency figures showed a 4.4 per cent drop in incidents in the year to September.

There were about 75,000 cases statewide.

Domestic Violence Victoria chief executive officer Fiona McCormack said: “Over the last five years there has been a steady increase in the number of family violence incidents that police have attended and this is the first time we have seen a slight reduction.”

“It’s difficult to be able to identify what this is about — our member services are saying that demand is going through the roof,’’ Ms McCormack said.

Police Victoria has warned that family violence was notoriously unreported.

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“Of course we want so see rates of violence reduce but we are still a long way from being able to say that women are living in a much safer community and that men have changed their behaviour.

“I don’t think that’s the case at all.”

Victoria Police urged caution about the turnaround, warning family violence was notoriously unreported.

The force has launched a strategy to further deal with the problem, which included the establishment of specialist family violence investigative units and a new scheme to better share information ­between police and support agencies

Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp urged survivors to make a police report.

“We know that perpetrators out there will continue to behave in the way that they do — if not with the same partner then another partner,’’ Mr Crisp said.

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