Police says some offences have increased in NSW, including drug and weapon offences, sexual offences, and domestic-violence assaults, after figures were released by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
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NSW Police said the increase could be attributed to proactive policing efforts and increased reporting.
They said crime was reported as being down or stable in most other categories, including robbery, break and enter, stealing, and fraud.
Reports of murder had significantly increased, compared to statistics from 2018.
A large amount of these deaths were considered to be domestic-violence related.
They said, however, when comparing murder rates over the past 10 years, this year's figure was below average.
This discrepancy was due to 2018 murder rates being uncharacteristically low, causing this year's figure to have appeared to increase considerably.
READ MORE: Partner violence rates holding steady
Domestic violence 'one of most challenging crimes'
NSW Police Force Corporate Spokesperson for Domestic and Family Violence, Assistant Commissioner Mark Jones, said the police would continue to concentrate on combatting domestic violence.
He said one murder was one too many.
"Domestic and family violence is one of the most challenging crimes facing police and we are focusing our resources to target this specific area," Assistant Commissioner Jones said.
"With this report, we have noted that domestic violence murder matters involving non-intimate relationships have increased more so than those in intimate relationships.
"These relationships include relatives, carers, and those who reside together."
Assistant Commissioner Jones said a whole-of-community approach was needed to break the cycle of domestic violence.
"In recent years, police have launched several public awareness and information campaigns; including 'You make the call - we will make it stop', 'No innocent bystanders', 'Not your fault', and 'Accountability starts with you'," said Assistant Commissioner Jones.
"In the majority of these domestic-related murders reported over the past 12 months, there have been no previous domestic violence offences reported prior to the deaths.
"These initiatives only work with a steady supply of information from the community.
"We all have a responsibility to report any suspected domestic violence incidents," Assistant Commissioner Jones said.
He said the NSW Police Force had introduced a number of initiatives in the fight against domestic violence.
These included:
- Domestic Violence Evidence in Chief (DVEC) launched in June 2015 which has assisted in increasing convictions for DV offences.
- Domestic Violence Safety Assessment Tool (DVSAT) and Safety Action Meetings (SAMS) launched state-wide in July 2015 and which involves the automatic referral by police of victims to support services.
- A Perpetrator Accountability Model with a three- tiered approach focusing on proactive policing measures:
Other plans:
- Domestic Violence High Risk Offenders Teams (DV HROT) which commenced their roll out in 2016 and who are now operating in all police regions targeting the most serious and prolific offenders.
- The Domestic Violence Suspect Target Management Plan (DVSTMP) which was launched state-wide in February 2016 and which involves Police Commands targeting serious repeat offenders.
- The Apprehended Domestic Violence Order Compliance initiative which was launched state-wide in May 2017 and whose focus is on improving compliance with ADVO's through proactive deterrence.
Other initiatives:
- The National Domestic Violence Order Scheme launched nationwide in November 2017.
- The referral of male defendants to the Men's Telephone Counselling Referral Service which started in December 2018.
READ MORE: Respect can help stop domestic violence