Sergeant Elise Feltham retires from force, but her mission to end domestic violence continues
After 17 years of tireless service in Townsville, Sergeant Elise Feltham is hanging up her police uniform. But her fight against domestic and family violence is far from over.
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After 17 years of tireless service in Townsville, Sergeant Elise Feltham is hanging up her police uniform. But her fight against domestic and family violence is far from over.
Sgt Feltham kicked off her policing career in 2007 as a first responder, spending a decade at Deeragun station.
In 2017, she stepped up as Townsville’s domestic and family violence co-ordinator, initially as the city’s only specialist officer for 10 months.
Eventually Senior Constable Emily Lyons joined her, and their team slowly expanded.
By 2020, the Townsville Domestic, Family Violence, and Vulnerable Persons Unit (VPU) was officially established, and it’s now ballooned into a 20-strong squad, playing a crucial role in responding to DV cases and supporting victims.
But her impact didn’t stop there – Sgt Feltham also helped transform police training on DV across the state, ensuring frontline officers and specialists are better equipped to handle cases.
Looking back on her career, Sgt Feltham said QPS’ commitment to addressing domestic violence had come a long way.
“We’re definitely much better than we were even seven years ago, much better than when I graduated,” she said.
But the work has been gruelling. The unit deals with harrowing cases daily, supporting victims through some of the most horrific experiences imaginable.
Their services are always in high demand, with Townsville cops responding to DV call-outs almost every 30 minutes — accounting for about 80 per cent of all their calls for service.
The pain hit hardest last year when three local women lost their lives in violent circumstances.
“One death is one death too many, isn’t it?” Sgt Feltham said.
“But ultimately, while we have such high calls for service, and while we’re working on it, we can’t expect everything to just drop off … it takes time.
“If you want generational change, we have to build generational change.
“It’s a tragedy, and as I said, one death is always too many, but we will get better as long as we commit to the longevity of good plans and proactive engagement rather than just changing everything all the time.”
Despite progress in policing, Sgt Feltham said the justice system still presents its challenges for victim-survivors.
“When you’re talking about offences like sexual assault or strangulation, the court process can drag on for so long that victims feel like they’re being re-victimised all over again,” she said.
Another big frustration she heard from victims was the disconnect between the state-level protections provided by police and the courts versus the federal family law court system.
She explained that while police may put a no-contact order in place to protect victims and their children, the federal family law court can then override that and order supervised visitation or contact between the perpetrator and the children.
“That’s probably the biggest feedback we get from victims about their aggravation of just constantly trying to have to face a new battle, in a new battleground,” she said.
Though she is stepping away from policing, Sgt Feltham is not stepping away from the fight against DV. She is now shifting her focus to education and advocacy, hoping to create change beyond law enforcement.
“My goal is to consult — whether it’s helping private corporations put DV policies in place or educating young boys and girls about warning signs and how to keep themselves safe.”
She’s also setting up a brand-new venture, The Wine Bar on Denham Street, with her husband, set to open soon.
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