NSW Premier Mike Baird announces $60m to prevent domestic violence

The NSW government on Wednesday announced a $60 million deal to tackle domestic violence. The fund will be dedicated to creating a special police force that will crack down on high risk domestic violence offenders. It will also go into devising plans for behaviour management of the perpetrators.

New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said that women must be protected from being subject to domestic violence.

"We are saying to them it is not acceptable what you do and if you think you can hide behind closed doors and get away with it, those days are over. We are after you," Baird told reporters in Sydney. He said the initiative will mainly focus on three elements targeting the offenders, providing additional crisis accommodation to the victims and assessing the first full domestic violence disclosure.

Each of the two teams of the new regional task force which will be trialled next year will consist of a sergeant, six senior constables and an analyst. If the plan emerges successfully, it will be rolled out over the next three years until all six police regions in NSW is covered.

Spokeswoman for the Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Pru Goward said the police have not yet decided which regions would be the first cabs off the rank.

"But it will be based around police data on domestic violence-related assaults," the Morning Bulletin quoted her as saying.

According to a latest 2014-data, the Coffs Clarence local area is recorded in the top 10 percent of domestic violence in NSW. The spokeswoman said that the Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour council areas will be receiving the Staying Home Leaving Violence program, which removes perpetrators from the family home to prevent domestic violence victims from going homeless.

"The focus (is) on the perpetrator, bringing the perpetrator into the centre of the frame, making perpetrators accountable," she said.

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