The NSW Police Force has implemented initiatives to improve domestic violence policing, but has not allocated sufficient centralised policy resources to monitor and support them

Domestic and family violence policing in New South Wales is supported by a policy team of six staff. This team has responsibility for developing, coordinating, and communicating domestic violence policy across the State. They support and resource 280 domestic violence specialists and provide advice and guidance to approximately 12,000 police officers across 57 local commands.

Data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows that domestic violence crimes have increased in the five years from 2016 to 2021. According to police who were interviewed for this audit, domestic violence policing takes up a significant proportion of their workload. This view was consistent amongst police who were interviewed for this audit from local commands. This includes local commanders, domestic violence specialists, and general duties frontline police. The NSW Police Force does not collect data about the proportion of police work that is dedicated to this area of policing.

The NSW Police Force has made changes to improve its responses to domestic and family violence in recent years. It has taken a number of steps to enhance its monitoring of police compliance with domestic violence standard operating procedures. To do this, it increased the numbers of domestic violence specialist positions, and tasked these specialists with conducting quality control assessments of police procedural responses to domestic violence events. However, levels of quality control assessments vary considerably across local commands. Some commands check 100% of events, while others complete fewer. The NSW Police Force does not collect data on the rates of quality control checking across local commands and has not developed a policy to guide this activity.

The NSW Police Force has not dedicated the same level of resources or organisational authority to domestic violence policing as other Australian jurisdictions. While there has been no analysis of an effective model for resourcing domestic and family violence, after review processes in both Victoria and Queensland, these jurisdictions established standalone domestic and family violence commands. In Victoria, the rationale for establishing a standalone command was to 'monitor the organisational response to family violence, maintain organisational accountability and improve police responses to family violence, sexual assault and child abuse'.

There is limited centralised workforce planning to assess whether allocations of specialist domestic violence police and other personnel are adequate for workload demands

The size and distribution of the NSW Police Force is not determined by formulae that calculate ratios of police numbers against volumes of crime by location. The overall size of the New South Wales police population has been largely determined by historical headcounts. Overall police numbers have increased when successive governments made commitments or announcements to enhance workforce numbers. The NSW Police Force also operates under a devolved model of workforce planning. Local commanders have significant autonomy to make staffing decisions that reflect local pressures and address local crime volumes and types.

The state-wide distribution of the 280 domestic violence officers across 57 local commands is, to some extent, based on historical allocations of domestic violence positions since the 1990s. Local commanders can enhance their local domestic violence specialist workforce by converting generalist police positions to domestic violence positions. Similarly, generalist police position numbers across local commands are based on historical allocations. Additions to the total headcount of generalist police can occur when local commanders identify limited capacity and make requests for workforce enhancements.

While the command‑driven model of workforce allocation allows local commanders the flexibility to augment areas of their workforce to meet changing local demands, there is no centralised quality control process to ensure that workforce allocations are equitable or appropriately distributed to meet operational requirements. The NSW Police Force does not produce reports on the numbers of domestic violence specialists in each command, relative to domestic violence event numbers.

The lack of centralised workforce modelling means that there is limited assurance that workforce distributions are appropriate for workload demands. Our audit analysis shows significant differences in the levels of domestic violence specialist personnel relative to domestic violence event numbers across local commands. For example, in some local commands, individual domestic violence officers had responsibility for over 3,000 domestic violence incidents in 2020–21. In the same year, individual officers in other New South Wales commands, had less than 500 incidents to manage. There is no reporting on the disparity in these workload volumes.

A number of specialist positions support domestic violence work in local commands. There is limited workforce planning or analysis about the service demand for these positions. For example, there are 33 multicultural community liaison officers distributed across 57 local commands in New South Wales. Some commands have two or three positions, while others have none. The majority are located in metropolitan regions, and the NSW Police Force has not conducted a recent assessment to identify whether they are located in areas where there are high service demands.

Similarly, there are 55 Aboriginal community liaison officers positions across New South Wales. These positions are not available in all local commands, including in some metropolitan commands. The distribution of these positions is a matter of historical allocation, and there is limited analysis or planning to ensure that these positions are distributed to meet service needs. The NSW Police Force has not assessed the impacts to service quality in areas where Aboriginal community liaison officers are not available.

The NSW Police Force’s Capacity Planning for Policing tool has the functionality to assess the distribution of the police workforce against incident dispatches and other workload metrics in each local command. There is potential for the NSW Police Force to use this planning tool to take a more proactive approach to workforce planning. This could include, assessing workforce numbers, crime statistics, and workload volumes across local commands, and ensuring that the overall workforce is deployed in areas where workload demands are highest.

The system for recording and managing domestic violence events is cumbersome and duplicative, and its replacement is at least four years away

The NSW Police Force uses the Computerised Operational Policing System (COPS) to record and review crime events including domestic and family violence. COPS is limited in its effectiveness. Police describe the system as duplicative and time-consuming as they must enter the same information in multiple screens before they can progress through the system. These onerous data entry requirements reduce the time that police can dedicate to other tasks.

COPS is single event oriented. To identify whether individuals have been involved in prior domestic and family violence events, police must manually search through narrative summaries associated with other events. In 2019–20 the NSW Police Force designed and implemented an improved search facility in COPS that allows for 'prompt display' of an individual’s prior involvement with domestic violence. However, police advise that connections between events or individuals are not displayed as automated alerts, and they must manually scroll and search for relational aspects or patterns of domestic and family violence behaviours in lengthy narrative summaries. COPS lacks functionality for efficient navigation of connected or related individuals or events.

The NSW Police Force is in the early stages of replacing COPS with the Integrated Policing Operational System (IPOS). The IPOS system has been approved and funded. It is currently in the first of three implementation phases. IPOS will be used for recording, reviewing, and managing multiple crime types. According to the NSW Police Force, activity to add domestic and family violence functionality to the IPOS system, will commence in phase two, and be implemented in June 2025.

The IPOS system is being designed to improve functionality in both data entry and retrieval. To address the limitations of the current COPS system, the new IPOS will need the functionality to display the relational aspects of domestic and family violence events. This includes functionality to identify and display alerts about domestic and family violence incidents that are part of patterns of behaviour, and the identification of individuals who have prior histories of domestic violence.

It was not possible to assess the effectiveness of IPOS as part of this audit, as it is still in the development phase.

The NSW Police Force lacks a framework to guide professional development and in-service training for domestic and family violence policing

The NSW Police Force does not mandate or set expectations for domestic violence training for its officers once they have completed the first year as probationary constables. Probationary constables are trained in foundational knowledge during pre-service training and develop further proficiency and skills through mentoring and experience. However, there is no framework to describe intervals at which police should receive refresher training beyond the probationary training period.

The NSW Police Force has developed a course to upskill its officers in domestic violence policing – the Domestic Violence Fundamentals course. This course comprises 16 online modules, followed by a one day in-person scenario-based session and an assessment component. Attendance at the course is voluntary. Police can nominate to attend the course if they decide to enhance their skills and knowledge, with the agreement of their local commander.

The NSW Police Force does not monitor course completion data across the 57 local commands to understand whether domestic violence specialists and general duties frontline police have completed the Domestic Violence Fundamentals course in all locations. This raises a risk that some local commands could have capability gaps in their domestic and family violence skills and knowledge.

Given that domestic and family violence is a significant component of frontline police work, there is scope for the NSW Police Force to enhance its monitoring and understanding of the levels of workforce capability in this complex area of policing.

The NSW Police Force has limited guidance to support its workforce with routine, informal debriefing practices in a high stress, high demand working environment

Domestic and family violence incidents are often complex and emotionally charged events. General duties frontline police respond to high volumes of domestic violence incidents, and this carries risks of exposure to vicarious or secondary trauma. In some instances, police are directly injured in the conduct of this work.

While NSW Police Force officers have access to a range of support services, there is a lack of guidance or a framework for routine, informal debriefing practices. Support may be necessary for officers who respond to high volumes of incidents during the working week, or after individual incidents. While police have debriefing processes for critical incidents, including incidents where there are high levels of violence, it is the cumulative lower-level incident debriefing that is absent from police practices.

The NSW Police Force does not assess the impacts of domestic and family violence on workforce injury or attrition rates. In the last three years, the NSW Police Force averaged around 500 worker compensation claims per year for psychological injuries. However, there is no data to indicate the source of these injuries, including whether domestic violence police work was a contributing factor. The NSW Police Force reports that it is unable to attribute the cause of psychological injuries because of the cumulative nature of high stress policing and the potential for injury to result from multiple sources.

Given the high volumes of domestic violence work of the NSW Police Force, there is potential for the NSW Police Force to enhance its routine debriefing and post-incident debriefing practices related to domestic violence. This includes the provision of evidence-based guidance on the ways in which to mitigate the effects of secondary trauma.

Performance reporting on domestic and family violence is limited, with most measures focused on activity rather than service quality or outcomes

The NSW Police Force has seven Command Performance Assessment (COMPASS) indicators that relate to domestic and family violence policing. At the current time, only one of the seven indicators has targets that pertain to police performance outcomes. Six of the seven performance indicators are counts of domestic violence activity or incident types. For example, one indicator is a count of the number of domestic violence events where alcohol is a factor. Another is a count of domestic violence events where the victim is recorded in prior events. While this information is important as a measure of police activity, it is not a measure of police performance outcomes.

The sole COMPASS indicator with targets for police performance, is the measure of legal action rates for apprehended domestic violence order breaches. That is, charges resulting from reported breaches of these orders. In 2020–21, the NSW Police Force achieved a charge rate of 84% against a target of 82%.

The NSW Police Force collects data on other areas of its performance, including its actions to follow up on victims of crime. Seven days after police have responded to a crime, they are required to follow up with victims about matters of safety and relevant service referrals. Data on these follow-ups is reported through COMPASS at the State level in collaboration with regional police managers who are responsible for monitoring rates in their regions. However, reported data pertains to all victims of crime, and is not disaggregated to show victims of domestic violence related crime. While the NSW Police Force achieved a 90% compliance rate for victim follow-ups within target timeframes in the 2021 financial year, it is not possible to determine domestic and family violence victim follow up rates.

There is scope for the NSW Police Force to increase its monitoring, reporting and analysis of a broader range of its performance activity as it pertains specifically to domestic and family violence policing.

The NSW Police Force has procedures to investigate complaints of domestic violence against police officers, but processes are not sufficiently independent of interested parties

The NSW Police Force monitors complaints of domestic violence against its police officers. In general, it is NSW Police Force practice to investigate complaints about police at the local command where the complainant resides. In cases where it is a domestic and family violence complaint against a former or serving police officer, there is a risk that this is the place where the complainant or respondent works or resides. In these instances, this can raise the possibility of conflicts of interest, and implications for the privacy and safety of the complainant or the respondent.

NSW Police Force Domestic and Family Violence Standard Operating Procedures do not contain guidance around risks of perceived or actual conflicts of interest for these circumstances. While there are procedures for responding to reports of domestic violence against serving police officers, such as securing of weapons of the alleged perpetrator, there is no guidance about ensuring the independence of the investigation.

The NSW Police Force does not capture or analyse domestic and family violence service quality feedback to understand and improve the experiences of victim-survivors

The NSW Police Force procedures do not include guidance for officers to collect feedback about their service quality. There are no internal compliance requirements for the NSW Police Force to seek feedback from individuals after domestic violence incidents. In general, the NSW Police Force has limited, formalised processes for seeking feedback from service users, stakeholders or representative groups.

The NSW Police Force's Domestic and Family Violence Policy makes an organisational commitment to victim safety and wellbeing. This Policy includes a commitment to provide a high-quality service for victims of domestic and family violence.

While the NSW Police Force has a stated commitment to work in partnership with government and non-government domestic and family violence agencies, its engagement with stakeholders is inconsistent across commands, and dependent on local priorities and relationships. In some local commands, stakeholder engagement occurs on a regular basis, while in others, it is very limited.

Stakeholder groups, including legal representatives, report that it is difficult to make complaints to police about domestic violence service quality. They told this audit that many of their clients have difficulty accessing information about how to make complaints about police practices.

When complaints are made, the NSW Police Force collates this data into broad categories of service quality analysis. There is no assessment or analysis of data that is specific to domestic and family violence complaints. Therefore, the NSW Police Force does not understand whether there are any inconsistencies or issues with its approaches to domestic and family violence policing.

The NSW Police Force does not have a mechanism to collect service quality information after its interactions with victim-survivors. It has limited channels for feedback that would allow system managers to understand or assess service quality. Improved engagement and collaboration is required to allow the NSW Police Force to better understand its service quality and identify opportunities to improve its practice. A poor experience with police can have a negative effect on victims and reduce the likelihood of reporting to police in future.

By January 2023, the NSW Police Force should:

1. improve workforce and workload data collections, analysis and reporting on:
   1. domestic and family violence workload volumes and allocations of specialist and frontline police to meet demand
   2. workforce injury and attrition where domestic and family violence is a factor or a potential factor
   3. demand for, and availability of multicultural community liaison officers and Aboriginal community liaison officers.
2. structure and resource the domestic and family violence strategic policy function to a level that is commensurate with the workload volumes and risks associated with domestic violence policing
3. develop a framework to guide police training in domestic and family violence policing that identifies intervals for refresher training, modes for course delivery, and protocols for integrating course evaluations and workforce capability assessments into the training design
4. conduct an expert review of the debriefing protocols and procedures available to police engaged in domestic and family violence policing and implement recommendations
5. commence work on the domestic and family violence component of the Integrated Policing Operational System (IPOS) with a focus on improving functionality for streamlining event recording processes and automated alerts to identify related prior events or individuals
6. in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, such as the Safer Pathway Steering Group, design a procedure to collect, collate, and analyse service user and stakeholder feedback about police responses to domestic and family violence and ensure service improvements are made to areas of identified risk
7. review the existing activity measures and targets for domestic and family violence policing and expand to include police performance measures, service quality measures and outcomes reporting
8. review the process for investigating allegations of domestic and family violence against current and former serving police personnel and implement procedures to ensure processes are independent of interested parties and mitigate conflicts of interest.

According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, only about half of all domestic and family violence incidents are reported to police. The reasons are complex and include some factors that are within the control of police, and others that are outside of their direct control.

Numbers and rates of domestic violence incidents have increased in New South Wales over the past five years. Increased reporting activity and heightened stressors on individuals and communities, may have had some impact on the frequency of domestic violence events. For this reason, incident data alone, is not necessarily a reflection of the NSW Police Force's responsiveness or capability in responding to domestic and family violence.

In recent years, the NSW Premier announced a priority to reduce domestic and family violence reoffending by 25% by 2023. The NSW Police Force has taken action to increase its efforts to target reoffenders and place offenders before the courts. The enhanced policing in this area, has consequential impacts on the number of repeat offenders recorded in police data. This makes it difficult for police to achieve reductions in reoffending. On currently available information, the target to reduced domestic violence reoffending, is unlikely to be met.

The NSW Police Force responded to approximately 140,000 domestic violence calls annually, in the past three years. This equates to one call every four minutes. Key statistics outlining the work of the NSW Police Force in relation to domestic violence are at Exhibit 1.

The first responders to domestic and family violence events are general duties frontline police. General duties frontline police are trained to respond to a range of crime types and callouts, not just domestic and family violence incidents. There are approximately 12,000 general duties police officers operating across 57 police area commands and police districts (local commands) and the six police regions in New South Wales as in Exhibit 2.

Members of the public can make reports of domestic and family violence to the NSW Police Force through the following methods:

• telephone calls to triple zero, to the Police Assistance Line, or to a local police station
• in-person reports at a police station.

After a report of, or attendance at a domestic and family violence incident, the NSW Police Force have a number of responsibilities to record and investigate the event. These responsibilities are described in their standard operating procedures. In broad terms the police are required to:

• record details of the event in the relevant police database
• establish whether an offence has occurred and if there are grounds for an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order
• administer a risk assessment questionnaire (the Domestic Violence Safety Assessment Tool)
• make services referrals for victims and perpetrators
• commence gathering evidence if the matter is to be presented before the courts for adjudication
• prepare information for Safety Action Meetings along with Safer Pathway program partners
• present information at Safety Action Meetings where local service agencies design safety action plans for those victims and families considered to be at serious threat
• follow up with the victim within seven days of the report or incident, and in cases where there is court action, maintain contact at least every 30 days thereafter
• contact victims and perpetrators at key points in the legal process, such as at the point of issue of an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order, at court appearance dates, or at the finalisation of a court matter.

The NSW Police Force has made changes to improve its policing of domestic and family violence

The NSW Police Force has implemented changes to its policing of domestic and family violence over the past decade, with a particular focus on monitoring police compliance with its standard operating procedures, increasing support to victims, and enhancing the monitoring of high risk offenders. To operationalise these changes, the NSW Police Force made some workforce changes, in particular, it increased the roles and numbers of specialist domestic violence officers.

Domestic violence officers conduct quality assurance checks on officer compliance with standard operating procedures. They check the records of domestic violence events in the operational policing system and follow up on incomplete actions or deviations from operating procedures. Domestic violence officers are also responsible for community engagement. They maintain connections with local communities and support general duties frontline police in actions to refer and connect families to appropriate services.

In 2016, the NSW Police Force commenced the staged introduction of six domestic violence high risk offender teams. These teams are tasked with taking a proactive approach to identifying, targeting, and monitoring repeat offenders of domestic and family violence. An evaluation of this initiative in 2019 by the NSW Police Force policy team found that the domestic violence high risk offender teams had been effective in reducing reoffending in the cohorts it targeted.

Since 2015, the NSW Police Force has participated in the government’s Safer Pathway reform including administering the Domestic Violence Safety Assessment Tool and chairing Safety Action Meetings. The Domestic Violence Safety Assessment Tool was introduced to assist in the identification of risks to victims. This whole-of-government initiative was developed after an assessment of the associated risks to victims along the criminal justice journey. The tool is mandatorily applied in every domestic violence event to identify the level of risk of future domestic violence harm. Police use a checklist and assess against a range of indicators. If a serious threat is present, this information is brought to Safety Action Meetings where government and non-government service providers develop safety action plans and coordinate efforts to enhance the safety of victims and their children. See Appendix three for additional initiatives.

Within its executive ranks, the NSW Police Force introduced a domestic and family violence corporate sponsor at the assistant commissioner level. The level of seniority was intended to accord sufficient authority to influence practice across local commands. The corporate sponsor is responsible for elevating the status of domestic and family violence and leading improvement through innovation. The corporate sponsor is also required to assist in the implementation of new initiatives across the NSW Police Force and present an external face to the NSW public on the issue or portfolio. The corporate sponsor is supported by the small policy team of six personnel but does not have a dedicated command to assist with operationalising new corporate directions.

Overall police workforce numbers are largely driven by historical headcounts and government commitments, rather than crime data, demographics, or workload data

The size of the NSW Police Force is largely the result of historical headcounts. Overall police numbers have been enhanced from time to time, after government commitments to increase the police force numbers. The NSW Police Force population is not determined by formulae that calculate ratios of police against volumes of crime by location.

The NSW Police Force has centralised workforce modelling tools and can analyse workload volumes by crime types in each local command. However, workforce planning data is not being used to allocate generalist and specialist police positions from a centralised or strategic level. The centralised workforce planning activity of the NSW Police Force is predominantly focused on maintaining a state-wide police headcount to a pre-determined level.

When government decisions or election commitments result in increases to police workforce numbers, the NSW Police Force uses its data modelling tools for strategic workforce planning. However, data modelling is not the sole determinant in the decisions about workforce allocations. The Commissioner of Police has discretion to allocate personnel to commands or activities, including to special taskforces or high-profile crime types. These decisions are made according to tactical and strategic priorities, and not by workforce or workload data analysis.

In 2018, the NSW Government announced an increase of 1,500 new police as part of an election commitment. This is the single largest increase to the NSW Police Force in 30 years. The distribution of the additional police from the 2018 commitment is currently being assessed by the Commissioner of Police. As part of the 2018 commitment, 12 aged crime prevention officers were introduced to respond to elder abuse as a component of domestic and family violence.

The NSW Police Force’s Capacity Planning for Policing tool has the functionality to assess the distribution of police workforce against incident dispatches and other workload metrics in each local command. There is potential for the NSW Police Force to make greater use of this planning tool for the equitable allocation of the police workforce. This could include, assessing workforce numbers, crime statistics, and workload volumes across commands, and ensuring that the overall workforce is deployed in areas where the workload demand is highest.

The NSW Police Force provides its officers with detailed information and guidance about the expected roles and responsibilities for responding to domestic and family violence

The roles and responsibilities of the NSW Police Force for responding to domestic and family violence events are described in legislation and in the Domestic and Family Violence Standard Operating Procedures. The procedures contain detailed information and guidance about police powers for entry and arrest, the requirements for documenting domestic violence events, the responsibilities of specialist personnel, and the roles of police in domestic violence court proceedings.

The NSW Police Force has effective workplace processes and practices to inform, guide and mentor junior police in the operational skills required for responding to domestic and family violence incidents. In the early stages of a police officer's career, more experienced police supervise and manage junior staff. Policing skills are learned through reference to academy training, guidance described in the standard operating procedures, observation of more senior officers, and following direct instructions.

In recent years, the NSW Police Force has strengthened its domestic violence specialist workforce. There are currently 280 domestic violence officers and operatives across New South Wales. Of these, approximately half are domestic violence officers and half are operatives. Domestic violence officers are responsible for enhancing the skill and knowledge levels of frontline police and providing assurance that police are complying with standard operating procedures. They support local command members by identifying training opportunities for local police, and updates on legislative changes and contemporary research. They maintain lists of victim referral services and liaise with local community organisations to understand the issues affecting vulnerable community groups.

Domestic violence officers conduct quality assurance checks on domestic violence incidents in their local commands. They assess incident records to ensure that documented activity is compliant with standard operating procedures. Domestic violence officers are not the only personnel checking compliance with standard operating procedures. Team leaders and local commanders also conduct compliance checks and identify omissions or mistakes in incident documentation. If mistakes or omissions are discovered, the responding officer is notified, and required to remediate processes and practices. These multiple review processes assist in training individual police. They can also be used to identify any gaps in the knowledge of the broader local command workforce and assist managers to target professional development and training opportunities.

The central policy team is not sufficiently resourced to monitor domestic violence practices or ensure state-wide initiatives are implemented consistently across the State

It is not possible to determine the percentage of frontline police work that is dedicated to domestic and family violence because the NSW Police Force does not collect data or quantify its crime response activity. Without exception, frontline police and police managers who were interviewed for this audit, reported that domestic and family violence work constitutes 50% or more of the workload of general duties frontline police.

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research statistics show increases in a range of domestic violence crime types from October 2016 to September 2021. For example, intimidation, stalking, and harassment increased by 9.4%; domestic violence related sexual offences increased by at least ten per cent; and breaches of apprehended domestic violence orders increased by 9.2%.

The NSW Police Force does not have a stand-alone domestic and family violence command. Instead, domestic and family violence policy is coordinated through a small, centralised policy team of six staff, managed by an inspector in the Capability, Performance and Youth Command. The policy team is responsible for providing advice and guidance to approximately 12,000 police officers across 57 local commands. They are also responsible for monitoring the strategic direction of the NSW Police Force in domestic and family violence. The policy team supports the corporate sponsor for domestic violence, liaises with specialist domestic violence officers across the State, provides information and advice to police prosecutors, and information to other specialist commands.

The personnel dedicated to domestic and family violence policy do not reflect the volume or complexity of domestic and family violence work across New South Wales. Other areas of the NSW Police Force have dedicated commands that allow for more direct monitoring and resourcing of crime activity. For example, the Public Transport and Rural Crime portfolios are established commands in their own right. They have direct reporting lines, allowing for the monitoring of policy, and for formal communication channels with regional and local commands.

The size of the domestic violence policy team is not commensurate with policy resource levels in other Australian jurisdictions. For example, both Victoria and Queensland have established commands to govern domestic and family violence policing. In both jurisdictions, the domestic violence commands were established after review processes. Victoria Police justified its decision to establish a command in order to 'maintain organisational accountability' across this complex area of police work. In Victoria the domestic violence command supports 530 specialist domestic and family violence staff, including 415 family violence officers and 115 unsworn domestic violence personnel. This workforce is significantly larger than the specialist domestic violence workforce in NSW of 280 domestic violence officers and operatives, 48 domestic violence high risk offender team members, and nine regional domestic and family violence coordinators.

Over the last six years, the numbers of domestic violence specialist positions have almost doubled in the NSW Police Force. Most of this growth has occurred through the focus on perpetrator accountability and the creation of domestic violence high risk offender teams. The additional specialists are domestic violence operatives, and they are tasked with operationalising the Domestic Violence Suspect Target Management Plan. This includes surveillance of high risk offenders and monitoring compliance with Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders.

There are no formal reporting relationships between the centralised Domestic and Family Violence Policy Team and domestic violence specialist personnel in local commands. This raises the risk that centralised policy advice is not shared across all 57 local commands. The limited size of the team, and the lack of direct reporting lines with local commands, means there is limited assurance about the effectiveness of implementation practices and information sharing with frontline police.

The NSW Police Force has not implemented a workforce strategy to guide activity aimed at meeting current and future workforce needs

The NSW Police Force has not implemented an overarching strategy to guide its workforce development. The NSW Police Force is in the process of finalising a ten-year strategic workforce plan, but at the time for writing this report, it is yet to be approved and implemented. According to text in the Draft Strategic Workforce Plan 2022–2032, there is a need for workforce planning to 'continuously identify future workforce risks and actions' and to 'prepare for the future of policing. The draft plan was developed in consultation with leaders from across the NSW Police Force.

The NSW Police Force acknowledges that workforce planning is essential for sustaining and responding to evolving patterns in crime. While the Draft Strategic Workforce Plan 2022–2032 is designed to address this issue, to date, the NSW Police Force has not been in a position to take a strategic approach to identify areas where particular skills are needed, and to enhance resources to those areas.

The NSW Police Force does have strategies to guide workforce planning in segments of the workforce. These include the Inclusion and Diversity 2020–23 Strategy and the Aboriginal Employment Strategy of the NSW Police Force. These strategies focus on increasing a culturally and linguistically diverse workforce and the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the workforce.

There is insufficient analysis of workforce data to understand whether domestic violence specialists are appropriate in numbers and locations to meet workload demands

The NSW Police Force does not conduct centralised, strategic workforce planning to assess and assign specialist domestic violence personnel to New South Wales commands. The model for workforce planning is devolved to the local command level. Local commanders have responsibility to manage the allocation of specialist positions to areas of crime.

Local commanders have discretion to reassign or convert general duties frontline police positions to specialist domestic violence positions within their local workforce. If specialist police are required, local commanders can adjust the ratios of specialists according to assessments of their local needs. Each local command receives crime statistics data and is able to assess local trends in the patterns of crime. Through this process, changes in workforce profiles can be driven on case-by-case assessments at the local level.

If local commanders identify the need for additional personnel to supplement the overall headcount at their local command, they make a request to the central Human Resources Command of the NSW Police Force. These requests are assessed against operational or tactical requirements, and decisions are made after an analysis of workload volumes and workforce data.

According to the NSW Police Force, each local command is managed like small business. Local leaders are expected to manage local resources and performance. Aside from designated positions within each local command, commanders have discretion to move positions as they see fit. Local commanders can convert positions to new roles within commands to reflect changing priorities. For example, from 2016 to 2021, 16 authorised general duties police positions were converted from frontline police to domestic and family violence positions across New South Wales.

While the command-driven model of workforce allocation allows for local flexibility and the ability to meet changing local demands, there is no centralised quality control process to ensure that workforce allocations are equitable or appropriately distributed to meet operational requirements. Human resource managers do not produce reports on the numbers of specialist domestic violence personnel in each local command against the domestic violence crime statistics or events in these commands. This means that central managers have limited oversight of the human resource levels and workload demands across the 57 local commands. Similarly, local commanders cannot see whether their allocation of domestic violence specialists equates with workforce resource levels in other local commands. While crime incident data is available on police databases, workforce information is not available.

Our audit analysis shows significant differences in the levels of resourcing of domestic violence specialist personnel across local commands. For example, in some local commands, individual domestic violence specialists had over 3,000 domestic violence incidents to manage in 2020–21. In the same year, individual domestic violence specialists in other New South Wales commands, had less than 500 incidents to manage. There is no reporting on the disparity in these workload volumes. There is no routine reporting that would allow local commanders to see if, or when their staff workload volumes are significantly higher or lower than those in other commands across the State.

A lack of central oversight of workload distributions, means that system managers are unable to see whether there are workload risks for personnel. It also means they are unable to see risks to service quality. A consequence of an overloaded domestic violence specialist for example, is the likelihood that they will do fewer quality assurance checks of domestic violence events. In commands where specialists have manageable workloads, they are able to complete quality assurance checking of all domestic violence events. Some commands check 100% of events, while others complete fewer, and compliance assurance varies across commands.

Regular reporting on domestic violence crime statistics that is correlated with the numbers of domestic violence specialists in each local command, would assist managers at all levels of the NSW Police Force to make informed assessments and decisions about workforce resourcing.

Most new recruits to the NSW Police Force are selected and trained to be generalist police and there is scope to recruit for more specialised domestic violence skills and knowledge

Recruitment through the NSW Police Academy is the primary means of entry into the NSW Police Force. For the most part, police officers are recruited and trained to be generalist frontline police.

Prior to entering the NSW Police Force Academy, new recruits complete a four-week online course focused on the legal framework and communication skills. New recruits are also subject to criminal checks, fitness, and psychometric tests to determine basic suitability.

The training of new recruits includes a series of online and in-person training sessions over a 32 week period. At this point, recruits become probationary constables and are stationed at local commands for the next 12 months. At the completion of all requirements, the recruits will have completed an Associate Degree in Policing Practice.

There is limited direct recruitment to domestic violence specialist positions. The NSW Police Force recruits nine regional domestic violence coordinators and one policy officer in the domestic and family violence policy team. These are the only specialist positions recruited from outside the police force.

There is scope for NSW Police Force to recruit for additional skills to enhance its domestic and family violence policing. For example, there is scope to enhance technology skills as digital media is increasingly becoming a feature in domestic violence crimes. Digital technology is being used for control, entrapment, intimidation, and stalking. In addition, there is scope to enhance the workforce with experts who have victim support skills, community engagement techniques and workforce training capabilities. The NSW Police Force does not conduct targeted recruitment for these skills or expertise to enhance its domestic and family violence policing.

Pre-service police training is designed around the procedural aspects of domestic violence policing

The NSW Police Force's pre-service training in domestic and family violence is focused on standard operating procedures for handling incidents.

Domestic and family violence is taught as a stand-alone module for the in-person component of pre-service training at the academy. It is taught at the end of the academy program and integrates much of the content taught over the preceding weeks. Over the course of a week and about 30 hours of face-to-face contact, new recruits are taught procedural elements of responding to domestic and family violence incidents including legal basis for powers. New recruits are also introduced to victim care concepts and explore behaviour of victims of domestic and family violence through case studies. The domestic and family violence policy team provides advice to keep this module current.

During their time at the academy, recruits also undertake cultural competency and awareness training including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and LGBTIQI+ communities. These sessions are delivered as part of discrete components of modules undertaken at the academy.

Probationary officers are supported and mentored in most of the required knowledge and practice for responding to domestic and family violence incidents

Probationary constables are trained in procedural elements for responding to domestic and family violence during pre-service training and develop further proficiency and skills through mentoring and experience. These relationships and experiences are a key factor in shaping a new constable's appreciation and attitude towards domestic and family violence throughout their career.

Over the course of the first year on the job, probationary constables are given more responsibility in responding to domestic and family violence incidents before they are confirmed as full constables:

• Weeks 1–16: probationary constables observe a domestic and family violence response
• Weeks 17–32: probationary constables assist in a domestic and family violence response
• Weeks 33–48: probationary constables lead a domestic and family violence response.

At each of these stages, probationary constables are assessed on their competency in responding to domestic and family violence incidents by a Field Training and Assessment Officer which is then endorsed by the local commander. Domestic and family violence is one of five core competencies assessed in this way and the only competency related to a specific incident type.

Some police regions set an expectation that newer recruits will rotate through domestic and family violence teams in their local commands, but this is not a centrally set requirement or expectation. Commands that do rotate newer recruits through domestic violence teams report that it helps general duties police officers get a better understanding of the overall importance of domestic and family violence work.

Probationary constables are expected to familiarise themselves with the domestic and family violence standard operating procedures. These procedures include guidance on engaging with Aboriginal communities, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and other diverse groups. Probationary constables are expected to learn community engagement skills on-the-job as they complete their initial three-year requirement as general duties frontline police.

The NSW Police Force has limited mandatory or routine refresher training in domestic and family violence policing skills for frontline police

The NSW Police Force does not mandate refresher training in domestic and family violence policing once new recruits have completed probationary training and been confirmed as constables. The available training on domestic violence policing is discretionary. With the agreement of their commander, police officers can volunteer to attend a workshop known as Domestic Violence Fundamentals. This course comprises 16 online modules followed by a one day in-person scenario-based session and an assessment component.

Police must complete training when there are legislative updates or changes to police practices. While these may include updates to domestic violence legislation, they are not a substitute for comprehensive refresher training in this complex area pf policing. It became mandatory for example, for police to receive training in using cameras when practices changed in relation to the collection of evidence from witnesses. This included training in collecting video statements from witnesses immediately after domestic violence events.

There is benefit in the NSW Police Force mandating training on key domestic violence concepts for all frontline police. For example, research indicates that police forces across Australia, and internationally, have difficulty in identifying the primary aggressor, and practices are inconsistent. The Domestic Violence Fundamentals course includes modules on identifying the primary aggressor in a domestic violence incident. While local commands can provide scenario training exercises at daily briefings, there is no assurance that these sessions include training on domestic violence. Local training exercises occur at the discretion of local command managers.

Police publications can be a source of information to guide police in their practices. In August 2018, the NSW Police Force published Domestic Violence Insights. These short papers provide clarification for police on common points of confusion in responding to domestic and family violence. The Domestic Violence Insights papers are a resource for domestic violence officers and are available to all staff via the intranet.

The NSW Police Force also provides stand-alone professional development to address domestic and family violence within diverse communities. These are focused on the cultural practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, LGBTQI+ communities, and CALD communities. According to the Aboriginal Strategic Direction Policy, 80% of operational police in the NSW Police Force must have completed a training course focused on working with Aboriginal communities. Most commands meet this requirement, though it is not known whether these cultural awareness training courses were directed to domestic and family violence.

Some local commands have developed their own training on domestic violence. For example, the South West Metropolitan region developed a training module on dowry abuse. This training has been converted into an online course and is available to all police officers. Similarly, some inner-city local commands invite a local community service providers to deliver training on domestic and family violence in the context of LGBTQI+ relationships. These training options can be effective in their limited contexts, but they are not mandatory across the State.

Mandating the Domestic Violence Fundamentals course at significant intervals during the careers of frontline police, would help embed core policing skills across the workforce. This includes training on areas that require complex judgements, such as identifying primary aggressors in domestic violence situations. The relevant components of the Domestic Violence Fundamentals course on identifying primary aggressors are described in Exhibit 8.

The NSW Police Force has not developed a framework or capability map to guide refresher or in-service training on domestic and family violence and does not monitor completions

The NSW Police Force does not have a capability map for general duties frontline police that sets out guidance on refresher training intervals for domestic and family violence policing. This raises the risk that some officers may have capability gaps in their domestic and family violence skills and knowledge.

The NSW Police Force does not set state-wide targets for the numbers of general duties frontline police expected to complete domestic and family violence training each year. Instead, local commanders manage training, capability assessments and information updates in consultation with their local command leadership team.

While the localised model allows for a needs-based approach to professional development, there is limited identification of development gaps at a system level. There is no visibility across local commands to identify areas where refresher training has been lacking. In 2021, the Police Prosecutions Command conducted a limited mapping exercise to understand the geographical distribution of employees with specialist domestic and family violence training. See Exhibit 9.

In 2021, as part of its promotions system, the NSW Police Force introduced knowledge checkpoints for policing. This included testing for knowledge on domestic and family violence policing. While this is suitable for identifying readiness or otherwise for rank and promotion, it is not a system that can be proactively applied to all New South Wales police. Checkpoint testing for promotion does not replace mandatory training across the NSW Police Force. It is not a mechanism to ensure that long-serving officers have access to current information and policing practices in domestic and family violence responses.

There are approximately 12,000 officers in local commands across New South Wales. Exhibit 10 shows the number of officers who have completed Domestic Violence Fundamentals training.

The NSW Police Force offers its staff a range of support services to assist with stress and trauma, but there is inconsistent practice in debriefing after incidents

Domestic and family violence incidents are often complex and emotionally charged incidents. National and international research indicates that these incidents can individually or cumulatively result in stress and secondary trauma. This includes compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious trauma. Compassion fatigue is the profound emotional and physical erosion that takes place when helpers are unable to refuel and regenerate. Burnout is the physical and emotional exhaustion that workers can experience when they have low job satisfaction and feel powerless and overwhelmed at work. Vicarious trauma is the effect of indirect exposure to difficult, disturbing, or traumatic images and stories about the suffering of others, which results in a significant change to the individual's world view.

At local commands, NSW Police Force officers have access to a range of support services including the Employee Assistance Program and Incident Support. Following a serious incident, Incident Support will be provided. This includes domestic and family violence incidents where there has been serious injury or death. The NSW Police Force reports that peer support officers, chaplains and domestic violence officers can be important sources of support for officers after they have attended domestic and family violence incidents.

Specialist domestic violence officers have the option of enrolling in a WellCheck program that provides enhanced support and access to regular psychological check-ins. This program is not available to the wider police workforce due to cost considerations. In our 2016 report on Preventing and Managing Worker Injuries, we reported that the NSW Police Force was exploring ways of electronically referring police officers to WellCheck, based on the profile of the jobs attended by the individual. The NSW Police Force reports it is still exploring this possibility, but that the referral program has not been implemented to date.

The NSW Police Force officers who were interviewed for this audit, reported varying degrees of collegiate post-incident debriefing following domestic and family violence events. Officers reported that they often rush between tasks, and this presents barriers to immediate post-incident debriefings.

In other professions, where trauma is routinely encountered in the workplace, systematic informal debriefing is routinely provided to colleagues. These occur at intervals that are proximate to the event, for example, immediately afterwards, or at the end of a shift. They are generally conducted by peers or work colleagues who have received training in debriefing. This form of regular, structured, post-incident debriefing has been shown to address the risks of secondary trauma.

The NSW Police Force does not maintain sufficiently detailed data to determine the impacts of domestic and family violence policing on workforce injury and attrition

The NSW Police Force averaged around 500 worker compensation claims relating to psychological injuries over the last three years from 2018–19 to 2020–21. According to the NSW Police Force, it is unable to assess the numbers of police claims or separations that are caused by attending domestic and family violence incidents, due to the cumulative nature of psychological injuries.

Domestic and family violence incidents are amongst the most physically dangerous jobs to attend, according to police who were interviewed for this audit. They describe domestic violence incidents as complex and unpredictable. Accordingly, the NSW Police Force regards domestic and family violence incidents as high risk and has introduced a number of protocols to mitigate the risks. Police told audit staff that in instances where there is a known violent offender a more senior officer or supervisor usually attends to oversee the domestic and family violence incident.

The NSW Police Force does not maintain data on the number or type of physical injuries incurred during domestic and family violence police responses, or the number of police who leave due to trauma related to domestic and family violence policing.

The NSW Police Force has not undertaken other action to assess the workforce injury and attrition impacts of domestic and family violence on police officers.

The system used to record domestic and family violence events (COPS), is cumbersome and time consuming, and has limitations in displaying connected events and individuals

The Computerised Operational Policing System (COPS) is the NSW Police Force’s system for recording details of incidents. It is now over 27 years old. The police officers who spoke with us as part of this audit indicated that the data entry requirements of the COPS systems are a significant component of responding to domestic and family violence events.

Police officers reported to this audit that it can take an hour to enter data into the system for incidents of domestic violence assault where children were present. Police told audit staff that the laborious and time-consuming nature of data entry had negative impacts on their view of domestic violence incident reporting. Time spent on purely administrative activities takes officers away from other policing activities. Police questioned the worthiness of the data entry activity, and some take short cuts to save time.

Over several years, the domestic and family violence policy team identified and implemented efficiency improvements to COPS as well as adding features to comply with legislative changes. In 2019, for example, the domestic and family violence policy team funded a change to the COPS database to produce a summary of a person's domestic violence history. Viewing this screen is now mandatory before finalising an event. This assists police officers with making suitable bail recommendations and recommendations for the length of apprehended domestic violence orders.

Despite improvements to the COPS system over the years, police advise that the system cannot make connections between related events or individuals. The system does not automatically identify repeat offenders for example, and related information is not displayed as automated alerts in COPS. In order to identify related individuals or events, police must manually scroll and read through narrative summaries. These can be lengthy according to police who were interviewed for this audit.

The NSW Police Force advises that it is in the early stages of replacing COPS with a new database - the Integrated Policing Operational System (IPOS). As part of the replacement project, the NSW Police Force assessed the data entry requirements of the two systems. It determined that it could achieve at least a 15–20% reduction in the time taken to record domestic and family violence incidents in the new system. The NSW Police Force expect that the IPOS component used to record and display domestic and family violence incidents will be fully functional in June 2025.

The IPOS system is being designed to improve functionality in both data entry and retrieval. To address the limitations of the current COPS system, the new IPOS will need the functionality to display the relational aspects of domestic and family violence events. This includes alerts for domestic and family violence events that are linked, or for individuals recorded in prior events.

This audit was not able to assess the efficacy of the IPOS. The NSW Police Force advise that the new system will have improved functionality for displaying relational and connected domestic and family violence incidents and individuals.

The NSW Police Force has implemented a range of new practices, but has limited funds to support and evaluate strategic project work related to domestic and family violence

Over the last five years the domestic and family violence policy team has been responsible for the implementation of significant state-wide initiatives to improve police responses to domestic and family violence. Some of the significant initiatives include:

• an enhanced focus on policing perpetrators of domestic and family violence through the implementation of the Domestic Violence Suspect Target Management Plan (DV-STMP), Apprehended Domestic Violence Order compliance check program, and the creation of the domestic violence high risk offender team
• a process to communicate with local commands through domestic violence insights reports
• video evidence of witness statements after domestic violence events. The video evidence, known as 'Domestic Violence Evidence in Chief', can be used in court processes in place of victim-survivors providing evidence from memory, during court hearings. This aims to reduce the burden of evidence on victim-survivors during the court processes.

The NSW Police Force allocates limited funds to support and evaluate these state-wide initiatives. Most policy teams do not have access to dedicated funds for this purpose and must apply for common funds managed by the Capability, Performance and Youth Command. They are not always successful.

Regional domestic violence coordinators have no discretionary funds to support local initiatives and instead must apply for external grants. While this encourages collaboration with local government and other government services, it may also limit police-initiated actions and the evaluation, sharing and embedding of successful local initiatives across other local commands.

In some instances, projects have been stalled due to a lack of evaluation capability. For example, a combination of COVID-related barriers and a lack of evaluation capability has impacted on the commencement of an initiative to co-locate members of the Women's Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service in police stations. Since 2021, the NSW Police Force has been working to source funds to set up an independent evaluation framework for this program. The NSW Police Force advise that the initiative to co-locate the domestic violence advocacy services in police stations will commence in 2022. It aims to assist women and children affected by domestic and family violence with safety planning, advocacy and referrals.

Demand has increased for translating and interpreting services, but the NSW Police Force cannot provide assurance that services are being used when needed

The NSW Police Force does not separate its spending on language services for domestic violence events from other crime types. Therefore, it is not possible to know exactly how much has been spent on domestic violence-related services. Across all police activity, spending on language translation services has almost doubled since 2016–17. Police report that in 2016–17, $1.4 million was spent on language services, and this has increased to $2.8 million in 2020–21.

It is critical that translating and interpreting services are available and used when needed during domestic violence incidents. Stakeholders reported to this audit that even if some victims have transactional English skills that are sufficient for shopping and navigation, these are unlikely to be sufficient to understand police questions, especially during a traumatic and emotional episode. Further, while reporting rates for domestic and family violence are low, about 50%, they are lower for diverse communities. Police acknowledge that language barriers are a key barrier to the reporting of domestic and family violence.

The NSW Police Force identified this risk in its 2017–2020 Multicultural Policies and Services Plan. To address this risk the NSW Police Force implemented a number of initiatives including:

• issuing a policy statement in September 2018 that was updated in January 2022, enforcing the need for local commanders, who are held directly accountable for language service expenditure, to use translating and interpreting services
• development and release of online training modules about effective use of interpreters and promotion of these services during in-person diversity training
• development and dissemination of other communications materials.

The NSW Police Force is currently working towards developing a software application for police-issued smart phones (MobiPOL) to further promote and encourage the use of translating and interpreting services.

NSW Police Force managers told this audit that they monitor ongoing usage patterns of translating and interpreters services at regular, quarterly meetings with the corporate sponsor responsible for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Individual local commands have information to assist them to conduct compliance exercises in relation to language services and do so at their discretion. However, the NSW Police Force does not mandate a standard check to obtain assurance that language services are used when they are needed.

The NSW Police Force has a limited number of domestic violence performance measures, and could do more to expand its performance monitoring activity

The NSW Police Force uses a mechanism known as the Command Performance Assessment System (COMPASS) to monitor its performance against its business plan and corporate targets. Data stored in the COMPASS system is largely sourced from the NSW Police Force database, COPS. There are seven indicators in COMPASS that relate to domestic and family violence. Most of these indicators are descriptions of event types, rather than indicators of police performance in responding to domestic violence. For example, one indicator is a count of the number of domestic violence events where alcohol is a factor. Another is a count of events where the victim is recorded in prior domestic violence records. Only one indicator assesses police performance in responding to domestic violence.

The target used by the NSW Police Force to measure its performance is focused on legal action rates for apprehended domestic violence order breaches. That is, charges resulting from reported breaches of these orders. In 2020–21, the NSW Police Force achieved a legal action rate of apprehended domestic violence orders of 84% against a target of 82%.

The NSW Police Force collects data on a range of other activity and performance areas, but these measures do not specifically relate to domestic violence. For example, NSW Police Force collects data on its actions to follow up on victims of crime. Seven days after police have responded to a crime, they are required to follow up with victims about safety and relevant service referrals. The reported data on victim follow ups currently pertains to all victims of crime and is not disaggregated to show victims of domestic violence related crime. While the NSW Police Force achieved a 90% compliance rate for victim follow-ups within target timeframes in the 2021 financial year, it is not possible to determine domestic and family violence victim follow up rates.

There is scope for the NSW Police Force to enhance its monitoring, reporting and analysis of a broader range of domestic and family violence performance activities. COMPASS reporting occurs at the State and regional levels, and these are appropriate forums through which the NSW Police Force can assess and potentially enhance its performance in domestic and family violence.

The NSW Police Force has requirements for victim follow up post domestic violence incidents, but there is limited assurance that officers conduct these follow ups

The Code of Practice for the NSW Police Force's Response to Domestic Violence emphasises the importance of 'continued provision of timely and appropriate victim support and referral to appropriate services'. The NSW Police Force is bound by procedures and guidelines that mandate specific contact points when officers must communicate with domestic and family violence victim-survivors. This includes timeframes to check on levels of safety, to provide referrals and updates about possible court hearings. These actions are described in the NSW Police Force Customer Service Guidelines:

• ensure victim follow up within seven days of an incident where an offence is detected, to ensure safety of the victim and answer their questions, and provide referral to domestic violence services
• when matters become cases which require investigation, update victims and witnesses at least every 28 days if matters become court proceedings.

All communication between police and victim-survivors must be recorded in the COPS system. Local command supervisors monitor these activities through random audits of COPS events after they have been completed and updated by the Officer in Charge. NSW Police Force procedures and guidelines do not set a baseline for the number of audits that local command supervisors should perform, meaning that the level of oversight varies from command to command.

The NSW Police Force does not collate or analyse outcomes data from audits to understand whether officers across the NSW Police Force are consistently implementing victim follow-up guidelines, or to gauge the effectiveness of these efforts and its impacts on victim safety.

Local commands do not collect feedback from victims after domestic and family violence incidents

A number of policies and procedures of the NSW Police Force highlight the importance of providing high quality service to domestic and family violence victims. According to the NSW Police Force Customer Service Guidelines, feedback is taken seriously and 'used to improve service quality'. This includes an organisational commitment to victim safety and wellbeing, and an acknowledgment that a poor experience can have negative impacts on victims.

The NSW Police Force does not request feedback from victims of 'personal violence crimes' such as domestic and family violence. According to the NSW Police Force, they do not contact victims in order to avoid retraumatising them. They also advised that police officers are not trained in victim support.

NSW Police Force policies and procedures do not require police officers to collect feedback about service quality. However, the Code of Practice for the NSW Police Force Response to Domestic Violence contains a commitment that police will continue 'providing assurance for victims' who make domestic violence reports, 'taking appropriate action to ensure victim safety’. Without service user feedback, the NSW Police Force is unable to ensure it is meeting the standard described in this commitment. Service user feedback would allow the NSW Police Force to measure its performance and to better understand the experiences of victim-survivors, including the reasons they do not report to police.

The NSW Police Force acknowledges that a person seeking police support following a domestic and family violence incident may be reporting for the ‘first, only, or last time’. According to the NSW Police Force, this necessitates a high standard of service to ensure ‘every interaction and response matters’.

The Charter of Victim's Rights is a statutory set of service standards that apply to all NSW Government agencies working with victims of crime. Agencies are not required to meet the service standards outlined in the charter to the letter but are expected to implement the charter to an extent that is practical and appropriate. Over the review period of this audit, the NSW Police Force implemented a mandatory activity to inform victims of crime about their rights, and to provide referral options. These actions meet some of the commitments of the charter. In 2021, the NSW Police Force released a new victim’s card after a consultation process. The new card provides a direct link to the NSW Police Force website and provides information on referrals to the Safer Pathways service partners and to the victims of crime webpage.

While the NSW Police Force is taking action to improve its services to victims of crime, more can be done to assess the performance of police in relation to domestic and family violence policing. Feedback about service quality from the perspective of domestic violence victims, can assist police to understand and manage these relationships. Relationships can impact on the levels of cooperation between police and other parties, ensure that victims provide accurate information about their safety, and ensure future cooperation during further investigations and court processes. The quality of service also impacts on the likelihood that a victim will report to police in future.

The NSW Police Force is inconsistent in its efforts to seek and receive feedback from domestic and family violence stakeholders and partner agencies

The NSW Police Force has a stated commitment to work in partnership with government and non-government domestic and family violence agencies. However, stakeholders who were consulted for this audit, report that the NSW Police Force does not always seek advice or input about police responses to domestic and family violence. For example, a number of agencies reported that they would like to collaborate with police on domestic and family violence training to improve service quality. Improved engagement and collaboration would allow the NSW Police Force to better understand its service quality and identify opportunities to improve its practice.

Local commands participate in Safety Action Meetings that are chaired by a senior officer from each local command. Safety Action Meetings can provide an opportunity for service organisations and government agencies to raise issues or complaints about the police response to domestic and family violence incidents. However, membership at these meetings does not include all stakeholders. Some stakeholders reported that, for the most part, government service providers are invited to participate, but non-government organisations are not routinely invited. A number of Aboriginal domestic violence service providers told this audit that they have important information to contribute to these meetings, but they are not able to attend without an invitation.

The coordination of the Safety Action Meetings occurs through consultation between local commands and the Women's Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service. According to the NSW Police Force, the Women's Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service have responsibility for managing the participation lists for Safety Action Meetings.

The NSW Police Force participates in a range of regional, state‑wide and national collaborative and cross‑agency forums on domestic and family violence and has recently enhanced its participation in stakeholder forums. For example, the corporate sponsor, domestic and family violence meets regularly with domestic violence sector stakeholder organisations such as Domestic Violence NSW in a process which has moved from an ad hoc basis to formalised quarterly meetings, beginning in 2021.

The NSW Police Force is not consistently engaging with Aboriginal organisations to support and monitor community safety

Police Aboriginal consultative committees operate in some, but not all local commands. These committees provide an advisory forum for police and local Aboriginal community groups to address crime, crime prevention and community safety. According to the Aboriginal Strategic Direction policy, local commands are responsible for establishing and inviting members of local Aboriginal community groups to quarterly meetings.

As part of this audit, we conducted interviews with nine Aboriginal stakeholder groups to identify levels of police engagement and consultation with Aboriginal communities. Of the nine stakeholder groups, one organisation reported attendance at an Aboriginal consultative committee. Two of the nine stakeholder groups reported effective processes for communication with local police. In the two regions where effective engagement was reported, the same local police commander had significant involvement. All nine Aboriginal organisations who were interviewed for this audit, reported that police responsiveness and engagement with their agencies is predominantly driven by the personalities of those in charge.

The Maranguka Community Hub at Bourke and the YUIN Protocol at the South Coast of New South Wales were both described as effective models to guide collaboration between Aboriginal communities and the police. The Maranguka Community Hub is led by a Tribal Council and governed by locally developed principles. This structure guides collaborative processes between government agencies, the Shire Council, non-government agencies, and the police. A key aim of the Hub is the coordination and sharing of information so that services support families and communities to prevent domestic and family violence. The YUIN Protocol in the South Coast Police District is a similarly designed protocol is to guide culturally appropriate prevention strategies to address domestic and family violence.

Six of the nine Aboriginal stakeholder groups we spoke to for this audit, reported that police are not appropriately trained to work with Aboriginal communities. According to these stakeholders, police have access to cultural awareness training, but this cultural knowledge is not evident in the ways in which they engage with Aboriginal communities. Stakeholders also reported that in some cases, community members will not contact the police in relation to domestic and family violence events, due to poor historical treatment of community members.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represent about 3.4% of the New South Wales population. In 2021, 8.9% of victims of domestic violence-related crime were Aboriginal people, meaning they were over-represented at rates that were approximately two and a half times that of the non-Aboriginal population. Domestic and family violence disproportionately affects Aboriginal women and children.

The NSW Police Force has procedures to investigate and respond to complaints about its domestic violence service quality, but they are not always effective

There is a legislative requirement for the NSW Police Force to facilitate processes for the public to make complaints. The webpage of the NSW Police Force provides options for the public to submit a complaint. First, citizens may attend a local police station to try to resolve less serious complaints, such as rudeness or poor customer service. For more serious complaints, citizens are directed to submit their complaint to the Commissioner of Police, or the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

Formal complaints to the Commissioner of Police must be lodged in writing, either using an online complaint form linked at the NSW Police Force website, or a form which can be downloaded at the same page and mailed via post or emailed to the NSW Police Force Customer Assistance Unit. Formal complaints submitted to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission can be submitted via its website using its online complaints form.

Stakeholder groups reported to this audit that it is difficult to make complaints to police, advising that many of their clients have difficulty making complaints. A risk to making complaints is if the complainant has to make the complaint to the station where the service or response was provided. The unequal power structure makes it difficult for complainants to be fearless and frank in their feedback. They also fear negative repercussions in the investigation and in the management of their domestic violence matter.

The NSW Police Force does not collate or analyse complaints data related to domestic and family violence incidents

The NSW Police Force does not conduct in-depth analysis of the complaints it receives to better understand inconsistencies or trends in its approach to domestic and family violence incidents. Complaints data can be an effective tool for organisations to use to identify trends and gaps in service quality, training needs, disciplinary actions, and workforce requirements.

The system the NSW Police Force uses to capture complaints data does not specify the crime type to which the complaint relates. In order to understand the numbers of complaints related to domestic and family violence policing, it is necessary to manually review all complaints to determine which are related to domestic and family violence. This means that, to date, the NSW Police Force is unable to aggregate complaints data to identify trends, gaps, and risks.

The NSW Police Force advises that it has made system improvements in response to this audit, and the Professional Standards Command is now reviewing complaints data specific to domestic and family violence.

Allegations of domestic violence against police employees can be investigated at the local commands where the affected police officers are stationed, raising risks of confidentiality and conflict of interest

According to the Domestic and Family Violence Standard Operating Procedures, incidents involving police officers in domestic violence matters, are to be investigated in the same way as any other domestic violence incident. There is a risk that investigations of domestic violence complaints are made at the local command where the complainant or the respondent currently resides. Managing complaints of domestic and family violence at the current or former workplace of the complainant or respondent, potentially raises a conflict of interest. This complaints process requires safeguards and has implications for the privacy and safety of the complainant or respondent.

Police involved in investigating complaints against current or former serving officers, are required to complete conflict of interest statements and notify more senior officers at their local command. There is no other specific guidance about 'arms-length' or independence in the management of conflicts of interest in domestic violence matters involving police. Practices for investigating complaints vary across local commands. Some refer investigations to other commands, and others manage the investigation in the command where the complainant or respondent is stationed.

The NSW Police Force monitors complaints of domestic violence against serving police officers. Between January 2017 and April 2021, there were a total of 166 complaints of domestic violence against police. About a quarter of these were sustained, meaning they were either proved in court or sufficient for internal disciplinary action.

The Domestic and Family Violence Standard Operating Procedures do include instructions for conducting investigations when serving police are involved. This includes the securing of service weapons, making Apprehended Domestic Violence Order applications, risk assessments and legal representation. NSW Police Force officers who are subject to Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders are currently able to respond to domestic and family violence incidents in the course of their duties. The NSW Police Force is working on a project to prevent officers with Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders from responding to domestic and family violence incidents.

The NSW Police Force acknowledges that there can be a perceived or actual conflict of interest in managing complaints of domestic violence at the workplace of either party. To this end, it is in the process of reviewing the domestic violence standard operating procedures. The NSW Police Force is currently considering a proposal to address two areas of concern:

1. The introduction of a degree of oversight by professional standards command of allegations/incidents involving police officers and police employees.
2. The introduction of procedures to address the issue of who should investigate allegations of domestic violence against police officers or police employees. In particular, it is proposed that commands/districts should not investigate matters involving subject officers or employees who are part of the same command/district.

The NSW Police Force identifies and shares a range of good practice domestic violence initiatives, but could do more to expand good practice responses in Aboriginal communities

Local commands have implemented initiatives to improve responses to domestic and family violence, and there is evidence that local commands are sharing successful domestic violence initiatives. There are forums for local commands to find out about the practices of other commands, and the NSW Police Force has developed processes for sharing new initiatives across the State. Forums include bi-monthly meetings of regional domestic violence coordinators, where coordinators share challenges, lessons, and successes with one another. The strategic domestic violence policy team has a standing invitation to attend and share corporate and legislative updates at these meetings.

One example of shared practice involves the management of firearms. The Nepean domestic violence team developed a firearms powers card to assist operational police with their management. As a result, the strategic domestic violence policy team is now making this a state-wide tool for all commands. While there has been wider distribution of some practices and initiatives, this process is not systematised for all initiatives. In particular, there is scope for the NSW Police Force to be more proactive in collecting, evaluating, and systematising effective responses to policing domestic and family violence in Aboriginal communities.

The NSW Police Force has good examples for domestic and family violence policing in Aboriginal communities. For example, the Yuin Protocol in the South Coast Police District, and the Maranguka Community Hub in Bourke are local programs that focus on multi-agency partnerships to address domestic and family violence in Aboriginal communities. Both the Yuin Protocol and police involvement with the Maranguka Community Hub have been led and implemented by the same commander. There is currently no strategic process to share these practices across other New South Wales commands where they can benefit Aboriginal communities more broadly.

The NSW Police Force routinely completes evaluations of state-wide initiatives, such as the Domestic Violence Suspect Target Management Plan (DV-STMP) and the Domestic Violence Evidence in Chief (DVEC) programs. Similarly, the upcoming pilot to co-locate Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service workers in local commands includes an evaluation plan. However, not all local and regional initiatives are evaluated with the same level of consistency, which could lead to missed opportunities to share and embed effective responses to domestic and family violence across the State.

At the system level, the NSW Police Force does not monitor rates of domestic violence compliance checking across commands or set a benchmark to ensure consistent levels of assurance

Each local command determines its own levels of activity in checking that domestic violence procedures are completed in compliance with standard operating procedures. The NSW Police Force does not set a benchmark or collect information on the rates of compliance checks that are being completed by local commands. Domestic and family violence compliance reporting is not one of the 11 mandatory areas for local command reporting. Under the devolved model of New South Wales policing, local commands make decisions about the numbers or rates of compliance checks of domestic violence incidents.

All domestic violence events have a baseline review by a shift supervisor to ensure information is recorded accurately and that a full investigation has been performed. Domestic violence officers from each local command then perform an additional detailed review of the event. Local commands are completing between ten per cent and 100% of these detailed reviews, depending on decisions and resource levels at each local command. These reviews occur 24–48 hours after the event has been created.

There is no centralised guidance on the level of compliance assurance that is required at the local command level. Compliance checking largely corresponds to command-level workloads and not levels of identified risk. Most domestic violence officers we spoke to for this audit indicated a preference to complete 100% compliance checks of events as this ensures compliance with procedures and mitigates risks. Some police regions have made 100% compliance checks a mandatory activity.

The results of compliance checks are not visible to police headquarters, but local commanders have visibility over compliance checks through discussions with domestic violence officers and command supervisors. These personnel inform them of recurring issues and potential gaps in compliance or training. While records on compliance for each incident record the number of reviews performed, there is no activity to monitor and report on compliance check activity by local commands.

At the regional level, regional coordinators review a sample of events every month. However, the form, content and extent of these reviews differs across the six police regions. Regional coordinators are currently considering a common approach to this compliance review function. These reviews do not provide the level of local compliance checking that can potentially lead to changed practices in frontline policing.

At the central level, the domestic and family violence policy team maintains contact with the network of domestic violence specialists to understand areas of non-compliance. However, without data on compliance rates, and an inability to perform in-depth analysis of the data to find trends, it is difficult for policy officers to have a full understanding of areas where there may be risks of non-compliant practice.

The NSW Police Force has limited capacity to strategically address trends related to non-compliance, such as developing training materials, targeting training in specific areas of repeat non-compliance across local commands, or undertaking performance management activities for officers routinely engaging in non-compliance with operating procedures.

The NSW Police Force advise that in response to a 2021 coronial inquest, they are undertaking a body of work to determine a potential new model for auditing compliance with domestic violence standard operating procedures.