More than 600 people have been charged with serious offences following a new high-impact operation targeting the state's most dangerous domestic violence offenders.
Operation Amarok One, an intelligence-based policing strategy, ran from last Tuesday (24 January 2023) to Friday (27 January 2023) and involved officers from all Police Area Commands and Police Districts in NSW, as well as each region's Domestic Violence High-Risk Offender Teams (DVHROT) and other specialist units.
During the operation, 648 people were arrested, which included 164 of NSW's most wanted domestic violence offenders.
In addition to domestic violence-related offences, police detected various other serious offences, including prohibited firearm and weapon possession, drug possession and supply, with a total of 1153 charges laid.
Over the four days, police engaged with 1998 high-risk domestic violence offenders, served 655 outstanding Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders (ADVOs), completed 3890 ADVO compliance checks and 1324 bail compliance checks, and conducted 119 Firearms Prohibition Order (FPO) searches.
Further, police seized 19 firearms and 49 prohibited weapons, as well as various types of illicit drugs located during 116 interactions.
Corporate Sponsor for Domestic and Family Violence, Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon, said domestic and family-related violence is the most challenging community issue of our generation.
"The NSW Police Force invests significant resources into responding to domestic and family violence; attending some 139,000 calls for assistance in 2022 – with more than 33,100 of those actual assaults and 17 domestic-related murders," Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.
"We continue to battle the perception that domestic violence is a 'family matter' and therefore should be treated as 'private business.' That is certainly not the case. It is a community matter, and we all have a part to play in stopping the senseless loss of lives due to this crime.
"Last year, we established a Domestic and Family Violence Reform Project to change the way police respond to and prevent domestic violence, with a focus of prioritising the health and well-being of victims by targeting those who perpetuate violence.
"Research tells us that without appropriate police targeting, a person who has been charged with a strangulation or suffocation offence is likely to progress to homicide offending; this is the key focus of Operation Amarok.
"When combined with our suite of strategies, including those being developed through the reform project, Operation Amarok will significantly reduce the risk of harm to current and potential future victims."
Corporate Owner for Domestic and Family Violence, Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith, said domestic and family violence is a crime type like no other, and it is complex to police.
"Operation Amarok will remain a state-wide offender-centric operation designed to focus on perpetrators where their intent, capability and access to victims is assessed at an elevated level of threat," Assistant Commissioner Smith said.
"Police officers spend more time responding to and administering domestic violence matters than any other crime type. They investigate any behaviour that controls, intimidates, terrifies or coerces a victim.
"With Operation Amarok, we've shifted our focus to the offender and deployed our officers in the same manner as we would for any violent criminal. The operation results speak for themselves.
"In just four days, Operation Amarok saw police engage with 2000 high-risk domestic and family violence offenders, sending a strong message to all previous and potential offenders that their predatory behaviour will not be tolerated."
Information about the NSW Police Force response to domestic and family violence, including links to victim services, can be found online: https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/crime/domestic_and_family_violence.
Reports of domestic and family-related crime or abuse can be made by contacting or attending your local police station. In an emergency, contact Triple Zero (000).
Anyone with information relating to domestic and family-related violence 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.
Incidents of interest during Operation Amarok One include:
- After receiving information relating to the whereabouts of a wanted man, officers from Hunter Valley Police District attended a hotel at Kurri Kurri about 8pm last Monday (23 January 2023). The 28-year-old man resisted arrest and a struggle ensued before the man was arrested. He was charged with two counts of contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO (domestic), stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (domestic), six counts of hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty, 12 counts of dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception, larceny, and shoplifting. The man has been formally refused bail and is next due to appear at Cessnock Local Court tomorrow (Wednesday 1 February 2023).
- About 8.30am last Tuesday (24 January 2023), officers from Camden Police Area Command conducted an FPO search at a home at Harrington Park, where they located and seized two daggers, a double-edged sword, a multiuse hatchet, metal knuckledusters, and suboxone strips. The 47-year-old male resident was subsequently charged with possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit and use prohibited weapon contrary to prohibition. He has been formally refused bail to next appear at Picton Local Court on 8 February 2023. Inquiries also revealed two other occupants – a 46-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman – had outstanding warrants for robbery offences. They were charged and have since been formally refused bail to next appear at Campbelltown Local Court on 20 March 2023.
- Officers from Murray River Police District attended a home about 11am last Tuesday (24 January 2023) after attempting to conduct an ADVO compliance check with an 83-year-old woman. On arrival, police spoke with the woman and her 51-year-old relative before he was arrested. He was subsequently charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV), stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (domestic) and contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO (domestic). He has been formally refused bail to next appear at Albury Local Court on 15 March 2023.
- Extensive inquiries and searches conducted by officers attached to the Central Metropolitan Region DVHROT led to the arrest and charging of three wanted men – aged 43, 40, and 19 – throughout Tuesday 24 January 2023. The 43-year-old man is next due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on 17 March 2023, the 40-year-old man is next due to appear at Waverley Local Court today (Tuesday 31 January 2023), and the 19-year-old man is next due to appear at Bankstown Local Court on 15 February 2023.
- Last year, officers from South Coast Police District, assisted by the Southern Region DVHROT, commenced an investigation into suspected breaches of ADVO offences. As a result of inquiries, police attended a correctional facility at Cessnock last Wednesday (25 January 2023) and charged a 31-year-old man with six counts of use carriage service to threaten to kill, use carriage service to threaten serious harm and 24 counts of contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO (domestic). He remains in custody and is next due to appear at Nowra Local Court tomorrow (Wednesday 1 February 2023).
- Just before 9am last Wednesday (25 January 2023), officers attached to South East Region Enforcement Squad conducted an FPO/WPO search at a home at Barrack Heights. Police located a 32-year-old man hiding underneath the house using a concealed trapdoor in a cupboard and allegedly contravening an ADVO. An extendable baton was also located during the search. The man was charged with contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO (domestic), possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit and use prohibited weapon contrary to prohibition order. He has been formally refused bail to next appear at Wollongong Local Court on 7 March 2023.
- Last Wednesday (25 January 2023), officers attached to the South West Metropolitan Region DVHROT and RES conducted an operation to locate a wanted man, who had been actively avoiding police. The 29-year-old was sighted getting into a car at Yagoona and was followed to Bankstown, where officers approached him getting out of the car on The Appian Way. The man allegedly ran from police and pushed members of the public over as he attempted to avoid apprehension. He was arrested on South Terrace and subsequently charged with contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO (domestic), stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (domestic), escape police custody and hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty. He has been formally refused bail to next appear at Bankstown Local Court tomorrow (Wednesday 1 February 2023).
- Last week, officers from Kuring Gai Police Area Command commenced inquiries after a woman reported receiving threats from a man known to her and finding a tracker on her vehicle. Following extensive inquiries, a 51-year-old man was arrested at a home at Londonderry about 8.30pm last Wednesday (25 January 2023). He was charged with install/use tracking device to find person no consent and stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (domestic). Police also seized registered firearms from the man's home and his firearms licence is under review.
- About 4am last Friday (27 January 2023), officers from Wollongong Police District responded to reports of a domestic-related assault at Wombarra. Inquiries revealed a 19-year-old woman had lost consciousness after being choked by her partner during an argument before he fled the location. The 22-year-old man was arrested a short distance away and charged with intentionally choke etc person with recklessness (DV), contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO (domestic), and assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV). He has been formally refused bail to next appear at Wollongong Local Court on 9 February 2023.
- Officers from Campbelltown Police Transport Command were at Minto Railway Station about 11.30am last Friday (27 January 2023), when they a saw a young man appear to run when he saw them. The officers observed him cross the road and run up a driveway before he was spoken to on Minto Road. After checks revealed he was wanted for a domestic violence-related malicious damage, the 17-year-old boy was arrested. During a subsequent search of the area, police located a machete in some bushes. It will be alleged the weapon was in his possession just before being spoken to by the officers. He was charged with custody of knife in public place and two counts of destroy or damage property. He has since been formally refused bail to next appear at a children's court on 20 March 2023.
