WITH the rate of domestic-violence-related assaults steadily increasing in Port Stephens, men are urged to get behind this year's White Ribbon campaign and to take a stand against the issue.
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In the last financial year, Port Stephens police responded to 1224 domestic violence-related incidents.
From this, officers investigated 520 domestic assault complaints resulting in 295 being recorded by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
The latest data collected in June shows that, in Port Stephens, each year for the past five years, the rate of domestic assault increased 4.8 per cent.
"The bottom line is, domestic violence is massively under-reported," Port Stephens LAC commander Superintendent Craig Rae said.
"It affects all levels of society, from financially secure families to the ones that are disadvantaged," he added.
Superintendent Rae said that in the past four years legislation had been passed that gave police, who are often the first point of contact in domestic violence cases, more powers.
Legislative changes allowed police officers to better respond to domestic violence incidents, including officers able to issue Apprehended Violence Orders without having to go through a court.
A Bill currently before state parliament proposes allowing police to use electronically recorded evidence they collect during the initial response as admissible evidence in court.
In Port Stephens, six out of 10 domestic violence-related assaults result in some form of legal action.
"The legal action rate in Port Stephens is one of our key result areas," Superintendent Rae said.
"We're consistently above the 60 per cent corporate bench mark."
He said this was in part thanks to the Port's two designated domestic violence liaison officers who supported victims by referring them to other agencies and guiding them through the court process.
The 16-day White Ribbon campaign starts on Tuesday, November 25.