Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month: Police attend 300 more incidents this year compared to last

Geraldton Police reveal they’ve attended almost 300-more domestic violence incidents this year to date compared to last, following the call for workplaces to join forces to reduce domestic violence. More than 30 Geraldton businesses have signed up to participate in a workplace program preventing family and domestic violence in the community, with a record eight businesses signing up this year. Geraldton Police family violence coordinator Sgt Chad Butler-Henderson revealed in 2022, Mid West-Gascoyne police submitted over 3000 Family Violence Incident Reports (FVIR) as a result of police responding to incidents of domestic violence. This year, police have submitted nearly 300 more FVIR’s in 2023 to date compared to the same period in 2022. The Community, Respect and Equality Workplace Agreement Program is a community-wide initiative providing guidance to businesses about family violence prevention in their workplaces and is part of the 2017 strategic action plan. As the end of Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month nears, Desert Blue Connect, Health Communication Resources, the City of Greater Geraldton, Headspace, Ngala, Aboriginal Family Legal Services, WA Centre for Rural Health and Communicare took it upon themselves to sign up for the family violence prevention program. Program co-ordinator Kate Black said it was the most sign-ups the program has had at once since the plan was developed and it meant those organisations contributed to saying no to family violence and the social norms embedded in the community. “Unfortunately, domestic and family violence is a significant problem in Australia and even more so in Geraldton and across the Mid West,” she said. Ms Black said one way to prevent DV was working together as a community to address the underlying drivers of this violence and providing businesses with tools to change the culture. “Local people, business and industry play a hugely important role in making this change happen — by taking action to prevent family violence in your workplace you are taking action for the whole of community,” she said. For more information on the Community, Respect and Equality Workplace Agreement visit communityrespectandequality.com.au