The NSWPF have turned their attention to early intervention and education during four days of action under Operation Amarok VII.
Operation Amarok is a state-wide operation focusing on domestic and family violence offenders with an elevated level of threat to their victim.
In addition to the 551 arrests made over the four-day operation between Wednesday 21 August and Saturday 24 August 2024, police attended over 120 schools and spoke to more than 10,000 students to deliver presentations on respectful relationships and coercive control.
On Friday 23 August 2024, over 900 young people attended U-Nites – a PCYC led initiative to create a safe space for young people to engage in activities – at 17 locations across the state.
NSW Police Executive Sponsor for Domestic and Family Violence, Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell, said educating the next generation was just as important as locking up the offenders.
"While the operational results under Operation Amarok are crucial to our fight against domestic and family violence, so too is preventing the problem in the first place," Deputy Commissioner Thurtell said.
"This Operation Amarok we had a focus on getting into schools and in front of students to educate them about the various issues that lead to people becoming domestic offenders.
"Kids are our future and teaching them about domestic violence early gives them the power to break the cycle."
The Domestic and Family Violence Registry led Operation Amarok VII, also involved officers from each regions' Domestic Violence High Risk Offenders Team (DVHROT), along with specialist officers from Raptor Squad, Youth Command, Traffic & Highway Patrol Command, and the Police Transport Command.
Police laid 642 charges with 1,230 offences, conducted a total of 14,910 ADVO compliance checks and 1,432 bail compliance checks. 156 Firearm Prohibition Order compliance checks were conducted, with 84 firearms seized.
Significant arrests (with vision and/or pictures) includes:
- Just after 7:10am on Wednesday 21 August 2024, officers attached to Leichhardt Police Area Command attended an address in Annandale for the purpose of a Firearm Prohibition Order premises search. During the search, police located and seized five pairs of knuckledusters, a crossbow and arrow, three sets of nun-chucks, a slingshot, a flick knife, stun gun, extendable baton and prohibited drugs believed to be MDMA and ecstasy. The occupant of the home – a 37-year-old man – was arrested and taken to Newtown Police Station, where he was refused bail and appeared in Downing Centre Local Court the same day.
- About 8:45am on Wednesday 21 August 2024, police attached to the Monaro Region Enforcement Squad attended a property at Karabar to conduct a Firearms Prohibition Order (FPO) search and AVO compliance check. Police located a 28-year-old man hiding under clothing and bedding in a bedroom. Officers also found a seized an unregistered 0.22 calibre loaded firearm and a small amount of illicit drugs believed to be methylamphetamine. The man was taken to Queanbeyan Police Station where he was charged with contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO, possess unregistered firearm, not keep firearm safely, possess ammunition, and breach bail conditions. He appeared at Queanbeyan Local Court on Thursday 22 August 2024.
- Just before 10.30am on Wednesday 21 August 2024, officers attached to South West Metropolitan Region's Domestic Violence High Risk Offenders Team (DVHROT) attended a hotel at Casula, acting on information regarding the whereabouts of an outstanding offender. A 27-year-old man was arrested at the location and taken to Liverpool Police Station. He was subsequently charged with common assault, destroy or damage property (DV), stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm (domestic), assault rail safety officer, and passenger block train door. He was refused bail and appeared at Liverpool Local Court on Thursday 22 August 2024.
- About 10.30am on Wednesday 21 August 2024, officers attached to Bankstown Police Area Command – assisted by South West Metropolitan Operational Support Group – conducted a Firearm Prohibition Order premises search at an address in Bankstown. During the search, police located and seized three firearms and three butterfly knives among other items. A 31-year-old man was arrested and taken to Bankstown Police Station, where he was charged with possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit and refused bail. He appeared in Bankstown Local Court the next day.
- About 12.30pm on Wednesday 21 August 2024, officers attached to Auburn Police Area Command received a report of a domestic assault earlier that morning in Lidcombe, after a woman presented at the police station with injuries to her head and arm. She was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics, before being taken to hospital for further treated. Police attended the address, where they arrested a 26-year-old and seized a metal bar, believed to have been used during the offence. The man was taken to Auburn Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV), and one count of stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm. He was refused bail and appeared in Burwood Local Court the next day.
- About 2.30pm on Thursday 22 August 2024, officers attached to Nepean Police Area Command attended an address in Glenmore Park following reports of a domestic incident, during which a 36-year-old woman had been allegedly harassed and threatened by a man known to her. About 12.50am the next day, police attended an address in Parramatta where they arrested a 42-year-old man. He was charged with use carriage service to menace/harass/offend and granted conditional bail to appear in Penrith Local Court on Tuesday 3 September 2024.
- About 10.30pm on Thursday 22 August 2023, officers attached to Kings Cross Police Area Command attended Sydney International Airport and arrested a 40-year-old man – currently subject to an ADVO – for breaching his bail conditions having flown in from overseas. He was taken to Surry Hills Police Station where he was charged and appeared in Downing Centre Local court the following day.
Deputy Commissioner Thurtell said the high number of arrests was not the only measure of the operation's success.
"While the intent of Amarok is to ensure we hold our most serious domestic violence offenders to account, prevention of domestic violence crimes is our key aim.
"Our officers conducted thousands of interactions with both victims and perpetrators across the state, ensuring police remain highly visible and offenders know they are never out of our sights.
"It is also important to note that all officers, both specialist police and those attached to PAC and PDs, focus on domestic violence prevention and engagement every single day. In the 2023/24 financial year, this work saw the NSW Police Force charge 32,744 people for domestic violence offences and conduct almost 118,000 ADVO compliance checks."
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
