A man who allegedly stabbed a woman and assaulted a teenager in front of two children was among 2,700 arrests by Victoria police during a five-month blitz targeting family violence offenders in Melbourne’s south-east.
Victoria police on Thursday said 7,500 charges had been laid as a result of the blitz, between January and June of this year.
They said dedicated officers conducted proactive checks on known offenders and victims across the local government areas of Cardinia, Casey, Frankston, Greater Dandenong and the Mornington Peninsula.
These five LGAs accounted for more than 70% of family violence incidents across Melbourne’s south-east, police said.
During the blitz, police arrested a 42-year-old man, who allegedly stabbed a woman and assaulted a teenager in front of two younger children. Police said an off-duty nurse helped the woman before she was taken to hospital, where she was discharged a week later with “life-changing injuries”.
The man was charged with intentionally causing serious injury, assault, three counts of making threats to kill, and three counts of contravening family violence intervention orders, among other offences.
Separately, a 44-year-old man was also arrested after allegedly threatening his female partner with a machete, causing injuries to her hand.
Police later discovered he had allegedly contravened family violence intervention orders eight times. He was charged over the alleged breaches, as well other offences including threatening to inflict serious injury, assault and failing to stop vehicle on police directions.
In another incident in March, a different man was arrested after allegedly strangling a woman in front of her primary school aged children. He was remanded to appear in court at a later date.
Other charges were laid against a 41-year-old woman, who allegedly stabbed a 74-year-old woman known to her, inflicting non-life-threatening injuries.
A 42-year-old man who allegedly stabbed a 70-year-old male family member and assaulted a 73-year-old female family member was also charged.
Police said that, in the year ending March 2024, family violence reports increased by 3%, with almost 96,000 incidents recorded. Casey, which includes the suburbs of Berwick, Cranbourne and Narre Warren, had the most incidents of any of the state’s 79 LGAs, recording 5,564 in the year to March.
The LGA of Frankston was sixth, with 3,010 incidents, and Greater Dandenong was 10th, with 2,613.
Greater Dandenong’s specialist investigation and support inspector, Rod Maroney, said almost half his team’s workload relates to family violence.
“We have made an enormous number of arrests this year,” he said. “More than 7,500 charges laid against perpetrators shows just how seriously we treat family violence.
“That is an average of 17 arrests every day, or one arrest every hour-and-a-half.”
Mornington Peninsula Insp Terry Rowlands said he was encouraged by the increased reports.
“It means more people can access help and police have an opportunity to intervene and prevent further harm,” he said.
“We also know the amount of proactive work that family violence detectives are undertaking each day, such as knocking on the doors of known perpetrators and victims, is identifying offending that would otherwise go undetected.”
• In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org
