Police attend 160 family violence call-outs in Melbourne's south in one week

Police in Dandenong responded to 160 call outs in a single week related to family violence last month. (ABC News) Police responded to more than 160 call-outs related to family violence in the Dandenong area in one week last month. Officers made 95 arrests and charged 58 people with offences. Police say family violence offences are continuing to rise, with offences up more than 3 per cent on the previous year. Link copiedShareShare articlePolice in Melbourne's south-east responded to more than 160 family violence call-outs in a single week last month, including the arrest of a man who threatened to kill his former partner with a hammer and tried to set their property on fire. Victoria Police has released details of some of the incidents in Greater Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia council areas as it responds to a rise in family violence offences. During the single week, police from the Dandenong division arrested 95 family violence perpetrators, of whom 58 were subsequently charged. If you need help immediately, call emergency services on Triple Zero. Some of the most disturbing incidents include a 36-year-old man who allegedly strangled and threatened to kill his former partner with a hammer before dousing the front porch of a property with petrol and attempting to light it. The man has been charged with intentionally causing injury, making threats to kill, contravening an intervention order and attempted criminal damage by fire. In another incident, a 35-year-old man allegedly used a gun to threaten and rob his former partner before being arrested. He faces 35 charges, including armed robbery, conduct endangering life and ramming a police vehicle. Police searched the man's property and seized several handguns and imitation firearms. Police also said a 28-year-old man was arrested after allegedly killing the family dog and breaching a family violence intervention order. All three men have been remanded in custody to face court at a later date. Officers made 95 arrests and charged 58 people with family violence offences in a single week in Dandenong. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica) Victoria Police said over the course of the week, 290 family violence offences were detected, with more than half of those related to breaches of intervention orders and 26 per cent related to assaults. Senior Sergeant Jason Iles from the Dandenong Family Violence Investigation Unit said the number of offences showed the "unfortunate reality that family violence remains on the rise." "When we attend these call-outs, we don't hesitate to arrest and lay charges if we identify any offences. Whether it's perpetrators threatening victims or breaching intervention orders, they will be caught and held to account." Victoria Police said some of the other offences during that single week included harassment, property damage, rape and non-fatal strangulation. Six of the perpetrators were recidivists and had committed multiple family violence offences against their partners and children over extended periods of time. Figures released by the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) last December, covering the year to September 30, showed there were more than 105,000 family incidents recorded in Victoria during the 12 months — a rise of 3.2 per cent from the previous year. The number of family violence serious assaults recorded by Victoria Police during that period was the highest since 2016, the agency noted. Victoria's recent state budget included $3.5 million to help 1,700 women facing family violence to upgrade their home security with stronger doors and locks, alarms, lighting and cameras.

Police attend 160 family violence call-outs in Melbourne's south in one week

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