❓ Question regarding changes in police approach to Violence Restraining Orders (VROs) and their impact on women's safety, prompted by a Four Corners program. The Minister details new procedures, inter-agency collaboration, and internal reviews.
AnsweredQoN 371Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
VIOLENCE RESTRAINING ORDERS
371. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the recent Four
Corners program on the issue of violence restraining orders, and note the
minister's comments on radio on 1 August. She said, and I quote, ''Police
have changed the way they approach and deal with VROs.'' Specifically
what has changed in the past two years in the police approach to VROs, and how
does that provide greater comfort to women needing protection?
371. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the recent Four
Corners program on the issue of violence restraining orders, and note the
minister's comments on radio on 1 August. She said, and I quote, ''Police
have changed the way they approach and deal with VROs.'' Specifically
what has changed in the past two years in the police approach to VROs, and how
does that provide greater comfort to women needing protection?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
Domestic violence is a serious issue
in this state. It is a very distressing event for any family to be part of. It
is also a very distressing event for our police officers and government service
agencies that often deal with the families who are the victims of domestic
violence.
I saw the Four Corners program and I have read the coroner's report into the Andrea Pickett
murder. The coroner's report came up with several recommendations. The
first and seventh recommendations relate to policing. The first recommendation
is that the Department for Child Protection, the Department of Corrective
Services and WA Police work together to put in place management plans to help
enhance victim support and safety. The seventh recommendation is to do with WA
Police and the Department of Corrective Services working together to ensure
that there is more effective management of parolees.
We have passed legislation in the
area of violence restraining orders that will now result in the perpetrators of
breaches of violence restraining orders potentially facing a term of
imprisonment. Police officers have also changed the way they operate in the
domestic violence space.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : How have they done that?
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : In relation to violence restraining orders, police officers
will issue a 72-hour breach notice, which will help to separate the victims and
allow a cooling-off period. In that 72-hour period police officers will have
victims get in touch with support services. One of the other changes made by WA
Police is to the status of refuges. If a person goes missing from a women's
refuge, that refuge will now be treated as a person of authority. That means
that a missing person's report from a refuge has the highest priority
and police will respond to it with the highest level of urgency. The police
have also been focusing on the timely commencement and completion of
investigations and harm minimisation through referral agencies.
For my part, one of the first things I did when I became
minister was to read the coroner's report into the Andrea Pickett
murder. Before the coroner's report was brought down, WA Police had
done an internal review into its management of that case. That review uncovered
some failings in the management of the Andrea Pickett case. Out of that, in
2009 WA Police set up a family domestic violence co-location model, which was
rolled out in metropolitan WA, and in 2010 we rolled it out in regional WA.
That model is all about having child protection officers co-located with the
police service to offer support for victims of domestic violence. Women, some
men and also children are victims of domestic violence. I meet regularly with
the Minister for Child Protection, the Minister for Corrective Services and the
Attorney General to make sure that we stay active in the space of domestic
violence. The heads of our agencies also meet together regularly to ensure that
the agencies are working together.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : That's not new, though, is it? That's been
happening for years.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
It actually is new, and it was a recommendation in the report. Much lip service
has been paid in the past to the agencies working together, but we are serious
about this and our department heads are getting together.
I also had some concerns about some
of the aspects of the coroner's investigation into the Andrea Pickett
murder. I have written to the Commissioner of Police outlining a number of
concerns, requesting what the police response is and how the police will in
future manage aspects that were raised in the coroner's report into the
Andrea Pickett case. I also requested further follow-up on recommendations that
the internal police review made of the police response to domestic violence and
am awaiting a response from the commissioner. However, domestic violence is one
of those issues that comes up in my regular meetings with the commissioner and
the assistant commissioner, and will continue to be so while I am minister.
Domestic violence is a serious issue
in this state. It is a very distressing event for any family to be part of. It
is also a very distressing event for our police officers and government service
agencies that often deal with the families who are the victims of domestic
violence.
I saw the Four Corners program and I have read the coroner's report into the Andrea Pickett
murder. The coroner's report came up with several recommendations. The
first and seventh recommendations relate to policing. The first recommendation
is that the Department for Child Protection, the Department of Corrective
Services and WA Police work together to put in place management plans to help
enhance victim support and safety. The seventh recommendation is to do with WA
Police and the Department of Corrective Services working together to ensure
that there is more effective management of parolees.
We have passed legislation in the
area of violence restraining orders that will now result in the perpetrators of
breaches of violence restraining orders potentially facing a term of
imprisonment. Police officers have also changed the way they operate in the
domestic violence space.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : How have they done that?
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : In relation to violence restraining orders, police officers
will issue a 72-hour breach notice, which will help to separate the victims and
allow a cooling-off period. In that 72-hour period police officers will have
victims get in touch with support services. One of the other changes made by WA
Police is to the status of refuges. If a person goes missing from a women's
refuge, that refuge will now be treated as a person of authority. That means
that a missing person's report from a refuge has the highest priority
and police will respond to it with the highest level of urgency. The police
have also been focusing on the timely commencement and completion of
investigations and harm minimisation through referral agencies.
For my part, one of the first things I did when I became
minister was to read the coroner's report into the Andrea Pickett
murder. Before the coroner's report was brought down, WA Police had
done an internal review into its management of that case. That review uncovered
some failings in the management of the Andrea Pickett case. Out of that, in
2009 WA Police set up a family domestic violence co-location model, which was
rolled out in metropolitan WA, and in 2010 we rolled it out in regional WA.
That model is all about having child protection officers co-located with the
police service to offer support for victims of domestic violence. Women, some
men and also children are victims of domestic violence. I meet regularly with
the Minister for Child Protection, the Minister for Corrective Services and the
Attorney General to make sure that we stay active in the space of domestic
violence. The heads of our agencies also meet together regularly to ensure that
the agencies are working together.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : That's not new, though, is it? That's been
happening for years.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
It actually is new, and it was a recommendation in the report. Much lip service
has been paid in the past to the agencies working together, but we are serious
about this and our department heads are getting together.
I also had some concerns about some
of the aspects of the coroner's investigation into the Andrea Pickett
murder. I have written to the Commissioner of Police outlining a number of
concerns, requesting what the police response is and how the police will in
future manage aspects that were raised in the coroner's report into the
Andrea Pickett case. I also requested further follow-up on recommendations that
the internal police review made of the police response to domestic violence and
am awaiting a response from the commissioner. However, domestic violence is one
of those issues that comes up in my regular meetings with the commissioner and
the assistant commissioner, and will continue to be so while I am minister.
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