A 32-year-old man is expected to face the ACT Magistrates Court today, Monday 6 April, following a family violence incident involving a chainsaw.
The man was charged with three counts of threats to kill a person, three counts of assault and one count of property damage.
Acting Superintendent of Judicial and Family Violence Operations, Sue Smith said no form of violence was acceptable.
“ACT Policing has a strong no-tolerance to family violence. We will prosecute family violence offenders to the full extent of the law,” Acting Superintendent Smith said.
“We remain committed to protecting the community against family violence during the current COVID-19 situation. It is never too early to ask for help and advice.”
If you are a victim or believe someone you know is the victim of family violence, you can contact police on 131 444 or 000 for emergencies.
The Family Violence Coordination Unit remains operational and is committed to continuing its work with those at risk from family violence.
A Coordination Liaison can provide a link between policing response to victims and the application to Court for Court issued Family Violence Orders.
ACT Policing will continue to work closely with Domestic Violence Crisis Service and Legal Aid to assist people who are encountering family violence.
Police can also provide assistance and advice to perpetrators to assist them in changing their behaviours.
Information about support services can be found on the ACT Policing website.
Federal support package
On 29 March, the federal government announced an initial $150 million would be provided to support Australians experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence due to the fallout from coronavirus.
Google is seeing the highest magnitude of searches for domestic violence help that they have seen in the past five years with an increase of 75% and some services are already reporting an increase in demand.
The funding will boost programs under the ‘National Plan to reduce Violence against Women and their Children’ including:
- Counselling support for families affected by, or at risk of experiencing, domestic and family violence including men’s behaviour change programs which will provide a short, medium and longer term response to support men.
- 1800RESPECT, the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling service, which already answers around 160,000 calls a year.
- Mensline Australia, the national counselling service for men that provides support for emotional health and relationship concerns for men affected by or considering using violence.
- Trafficked People Program to support particularly vulnerable cohorts such as victims of human trafficking, forced marriage, slavery and slavery-like practices.
- Support programs for women and children experiencing violence to protect themselves to stay in their homes, or a home of their choice, when it is safe to do so.
A new public communication campaign will roll out to support those experiencing domestic violence over this period and to ensure those affected know where they can seek help.
Minister Payne and Minister Ruston convened a COAG Women’s Safety Council meeting on Monday 30 March to discuss with the States and Territories how to best deliver this funding to support local responses to this issue.
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