Seven people are facing court today after ACT Policing responded to 25 family violence calls over the weekend.
Between Friday 15 July and Sunday 18 July, ACT Policing attended 25 instances of reported family violence.
Following these attendances, seven men and one woman were arrested for offences including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, recklessly inflict actual bodily harm, choke/suffocate/strangle another person, common assault, property damage, and reckless threat to kill.
To further assist victims, ACT Policing Family Violence Orders Liaison Officers will manage five referrals for ongoing support in the application of Family Violence Orders.
All victims were also offered the services of Domestic Violence Crisis Service with a large number accepting this vital support service.
Officer in Charge of ACT Policing’s Family Violence Coordination Unit, Inspector Dave Williams said that the numbers were not unusual for a weekend for this crime type.
“Unfortunately, seeing multiple people charged across a weekend with serious family violence offences is not a new occurrence,” said Inspector Williams.
“Our officers respond multiple times a day to the full range of family violence incidents including assaults, stalking, intimidation and abuse. In May of this year, ACT Policing officers responded to 249 separate family violence incidents.
“We urge victims to come forward; police will always listen to your complaint and take the appropriate action,” he said.
“Importantly, you do not need to go through this difficult time alone. A wide range of support services are available to victims.
“To those who are committing these criminal acts against family members, we would ask that you take a second to think about the consequences. There are specialist services that help you to temper your actions and develop mechanisms to deal with your situations.”
Seven of the people arrested will face the ACT Magistrates Court today, Monday 18 July.
More information on the support ACT Policing can provide to people experiencing family violence is available on the ACT Policing website.
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