The shock number of cases police went to in just one week

A man with a hammer strangles his ex-partner, douses her house in gasoline and threatens to set it on fire. Another robbed his ex-partner at gunpoint, while the third murdered his family dog.

These are just three of 161 cases handled by Victoria Police’s domestic violence section in Dandenong in a single week last month.

Dandenong domestic violence police responded to 161 incidents in just one week.Getty

They arrested 95 perpetrators, recording nearly 300 crimes, including 66 assaults, eight rapes and 14 harassment incidents in the area covering Greater Dandenong, Cardinia and Casey.

The grim reality of the statistics is made clear by how Staff Sergeant Jason Iles describes that week on the job.

“This is a normal situation for us right now. It’s unfortunate,” he said Age.

A surge in domestic violence and national outrage following a spate of intimate partner murders in 2024 has led Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to declare a national crisis, order a rapid review and pledge a $925 million prevention package.

A number of Victorian women have been allegedly murdered by their current or former partners in recent years, including 23-year-old student Hannah McGuire, 32-year-old mother Anu Kumar, Lise Muliaga, who was stabbed in front of her children, and Chamindika Jayawardena, whose partner later took his own life.

But despite scrutiny, new laws and funding increases, domestic violence has continued to rise. Victoria alone recorded an all-time high According to Crime Statistics Victoria, there were 106,427 incidents last year; This figure increased by 8 percent compared to the previous year.

At the same time, fewer intervention decisions were made, charges decreased, and unsolved cases increased. Demand for support has also increased, with domestic violence crisis intervention center Safe Steps reporting a 17 percent increase in call demand in the same time period.

Of the 95 perpetrators arrested by Dandenong detectives, 58 were charged with domestic violence offences. Six of these are repeat offenders, committing multiple offenses against their partners and children over long periods of time.

Iles said in his experience, policing remains a difficult area to navigate, with charges being dropped due to lack of evidence, in some cases because surviving victims withdraw their support from criminal proceedings, often due to fears for their safety or their relationship with the offender.

“If they come forward and make a statement against a partner or former partner, we try to impress upon the victims that we are on their side and will do everything to keep them safe,” he said.

“Whether or not the victim-survivor wants to come forward and provide testimony and evidence, there are other ways and means to try to prosecute people if we believe it is necessary to intervene.”

High-risk offenders are managed by the unit’s detectives, who conduct surveillance and frequent checks. “We want to know everything about them,” Iles said.

The sergeant said his unit has noticed an increase in nonfatal drownings and pursuits.

Domestic violence violations also continued to increase; Police intelligence showed that many of these involved criminals using technology such as mobile phones and social media to target victims, particularly their ex-partners.

Iles said the Alexis program, which places specialist staff in Victoria Police’s domestic violence units to provide support and resources to high-risk families, was “invaluable”.

“As we all know, some people’s only source of income is their spouse; if that’s taken away from them, then they don’t see a way out. So it’s up to Alexis people to show them that basically yes. We can support you, we can clothe you, we can put a roof over your head. Sometimes people can’t see that.”

A study dated 2024 It found that the program, working with both victim survivors and offenders, significantly reduced the level of threat in cases and positively impacted families. 78 percent of victim survivors surveyed said the model helped reduce domestic violence in their lives.

Chamindika Jayawardena at a birthday party at a winery a few hours before she died.

Non-fatal strangulation was made illegal in Victoria last year – six years after reforms were first announced by the state government following the murder of Victorian woman Joy Rowley.

Data from the Crime Statistics Agency shows police charged 996 people with the offense in the first 12 months the landmark law came into force, between October 2024 and September last year.

In April, Prime Minister Jacinta Allan created a new portfolio by appointing Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke as minister for men and boys. Edbrooke said her new role involves looking at the influence of right-wing influencers accused of promoting dangerous and hateful views about women online, a world called the “manosphere” and recently explored in a documentary by Louis Theroux.

“They’re exerting influence over young Victorian men, to put it better, and that’s absolutely unhealthy,” Edbrooke said.

According to national advocacy group Counting Dead Women, 18 women have died from violence in Australia this year.

Start your day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.