Northern Territory police have announced plans to review their handling of domestic violence incidents, in the wake of reporting on the high levels of violence against Aboriginal women and concerns about police responses to it.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the images of people who have died.
A new NT Police taskforce will "audit" intimate partner domestic violence incidents focusing initially on Alice Springs and the surrounding regions.
The announcement comes after a Four Corners investigation revealed 315 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have been murdered, killed or disappeared in the last two decades.
Of those women, 70 were killed in Central Australia.
In a statement released on Wednesday, NT Police said the Family Harm Coordination Project (FHCP) had commenced work in Alice Springs.
The unit's aim is to ensure the police response to domestic violence "aligns with [NT Police's] organisational values and policies and that appropriate referrals are made to external stakeholders."
Key priorities include responding to victims "consistently and compassionately", and partnering with other agencies and the community to target "driving factors" fuelling domestic violence.
"Where further immediate action is required, this will be implemented by the FHCP in order to ensure key lessons are reinforced and training needs addressed," project lead Detective Superintendent Kirsten Engels said.
"Our officers work incredibly hard 24/7 and deal with incidents that include extremely high levels of violence.
"We always aim to act with professionalism and empathy."
'We encourage this proactive response'
The announcement was welcomed by organisations on the frontline, including the Central Australian Women's Legal Service.
"Domestic and family violence has been really bad for a long time, and the Four Corners story raised some really serious issues in the police as first responders," acting chief executive Anna Ryan said.
Ms Ryan said she had attended discussions about the police project with Detective Engels earlier this year.
"We haven't been provided all the details yet but we support all steps to enhance safety for women and children and look forward to being involved," she said.
Tessa Snowdon, senior policy officer at the NT Council of Social Service (NTCOSS), said she supported NT Police pushing ahead with plans to improve its handling of domestic violence in Alice Springs.
"We encourage this proactive response across other regions," she said in a statement.
"The Four Corners report, as confronting and heartbreaking as it is, is such a clear demonstration of the urgent action needed to address domestic, family and sexual violence in the Territory."
After the investigation aired, anti-domestic violence campaigners in central Australia reiterated concerns about the NT Police handling of violence against Aboriginal women.
Police Minister Kate Worden, who is also the NT's first minister for the prevention of domestic violence, said "the majority of police do a really good job all the time, day in and day out."
