Darling Downs leading the way in Domestic and Family Violence prevention

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is improving the services it provides to victim-survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV) by establishing specialist Domestic, Family Violence and Vulnerable Person Units (DFVVPUs) in a further four divisions in Queensland, meaning that all divisions across the State will have a specialised DFV support unit by the end of 2024.

DFVVPUs support frontline policing services by providing holistic support for victim-survivors which focuses on perpetrator accountability.

While frontline police provide ongoing assistance in addition to first response support to victim-survivors, DFVVPU staff receive specialised DFV management training and can offer a more comprehensive method of support.

In the two years since they were established, the Darling Downs DFVVPU has achieved a notable reduction in reports of DFV and the region is now operating below the state average for most DFV related incidents.

Senior Sergeant Jerome Winslade said that the team has taken positive steps in addressing DFV in their community by ensuring victim-survivors receive comprehensive support services to navigate and safely exit difficult and dangerous situations.

“Over the past two years the team have found success through a coordinated multi-agency approach in DFV prevention and investigation to achieve better outcomes for victim-survivors,” he said.

“The team recently facilitated a successful intervention to safeguard an at-risk victim-survivor who connected with the DFVVPU after fleeing her home to escape a relationship and then coming under further threat after the perpetrator discovered her location, exposing her and her children to potential harm.

“Through collaborative efforts with local non-governmental agencies and support organisations, the DFVVPU swiftly intervened to protect the victim-survivor from the dangerous situation.

“They facilitated relocation, secured temporary accommodation, and implemented security measures to reduce possible risks to the victim-survivor and her children.

“This approach resulted in the victim-survivor transitioning to a safer environment within a day – free from further incidents,” he said.

Senior Sergeant Winslade said that this was just one of many success stories the team had contributed to and highlighted the effectiveness of coordinated multi-agency approaches in DFV prevention and investigation to achieve better outcomes for victim-survivors.

“In 2023, the team made a strategic shift towards tertiary interventions, to emphasise perpetrator accountability over compliance in an effort to drive down recurrences,” he said.

“More than 170 perpetrators were contacted regarding their Police Protection Notices or Domestic Violence Protection Orders, resulting in no reoffence from 80 per cent of contacted perpetrators.

“No contacted perpetrator has been identified by police as re-offending since, and one individual also opted to enrol in a behaviour change program.

“We have also ensured prompt contact with aggrieved parties within 24-hours, allowing us to monitor their safety and wellbeing which helps to provide closure.

“I am excited to say we’re increasing staffing in the coming months and are planning to dive deeper into pre- and post-incident activities to tackle DFV holistically.

“We still have a long way to go to prevent all DFV, but we’re certainly taking steps forward and seeing some positive results.”

Expansion of DFVVPUs in all Queensland districts is just one of many reform activities being undertaken by the QPS to address recommendations made by the Independent Commission of Inquiry into our response to DFV.

These specialist units will be strategically positioned within each police district, reinforcing our commitment to effectively manage the escalating prevalence of DFV within our communities.