Domestic and family violence-related homicides in Queensland have risen by 50 per cent in a year, with experts warning it is just “the tip of the iceberg”.
Queensland police data, as reported by multiple news outlets, revealed that 24 people have been allegedly murdered by intimate partners or family members in the last financial year, compared to 16 the previous year.
About a third of the alleged killers had either a domestic violence order against them or had contact with police in the 12 months before the deaths.
The data comes more than a year after an Inquiry into Queensland Police Service responses to domestic and family violence, which made 78 recommendations.
“We know in our communities, there are still more instances of domestic and family violence that aren’t being reported and that worries me,” Lawyer Thelma Schwartz from the Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service told the ABC. “This is the tip of the iceberg.”
“We’ve taken piecemeal approaches to what really requires a holistic response and a matched up service system to support it.”
Thelma also notes that it needs to be recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overrepresented when it comes to family and domestic violence.
Police response to the data
Despite the alarming increase in Queensland’s DV homicides, over a hundred police roles specific to domestic and family violence are yet to be filled across the state.
Police plan to spend the next two years recruiting 114 specialist officers to fill these roles and help staff vulnerable persons units, according to Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner for Domestic and Family Violence Christopher Jory.
Among the recommendations in the Inquiry’s report into Queensland police was the need for a vulnerable person’s unit in every police district by May 2024. Jory says that in order to achieve this, another four units would be rolled out in the next six months.
Queensland police data also showed that in 2023, domestic violence rates saw a major increase from previous years, with officers receiving more than 171,000 family and domestic violence reports.
This endemic of violence is seeped throughout the country, as 63 women died from violence last year, according to Destroy the Joint statistics. And already, this year, two more women have been allegedly killed.
If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, chat online via 1800RESPECT.org.au or text 0458 737 732.
If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit www.ntv.org.au.
Feeling worried or no good? No shame, no judgement, safe place to yarn. Speak to a 13YARN Crisis Supporter, call 13 92 76. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
In an emergency, call 000.