WAGGA’S leaders will hold an urgent summit to address the city’s disgraceful plight of family violence on Tuesday morning.
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It comes after a woman was pinned to the ground and bashed with a glass bottle, allegedly by her ex-partner, during an alcohol-fuelled assault on Saturday night.
The chilling incident was one of 17 reports of domestic abuse received by Wagga police over the weekend.
Mayor Greg Conkey will meet with representatives from Wagga Women’s Health Centre, the local Business Chamber, Rotary, Kapooka and police to discuss potential plans of action.
The prevalence of the issue raised alarm bells when a staggering 428 Wagga residents were convicted of a domestic violence related offence in 2016.
Wagga also claimed the cowardly record of having the state’s biggest spike in domestic violence in 2016, according to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
Superintendent Bob Noble revealed police will resort to using new “intrusive and invasive” techniques to apprehend serial perpetrators.
“Most families try to resolve the issue discreetly, sometimes through a misplaced sense of loyalty,” he said.
“I think we can agree these perpetrators are deserving of the extra attention.
“We will have a renewed focus in stopping this type of behaviour.”
Police are responding to – on average – between nine and 14 incidents every day, according to Wagga Local Area Command’s Inspector Phil Malligan.
Cr Conkey said he hopes to make the meeting a regular fixture until the rate of violence recedes.
“A lot of things have been done in this community and we’ve been very proactive – but yet domestic violence is still on the increase,” he said.
“I myself have looked at it as something very concerning for a long time.
“The entire elected body is in support of raising awareness and pushing resources to try and combat this situation.”
It was also revealed the city’s alarming rate of violence has attracted outside attention.
Prominent domestic violence campaigner and 2015 Australian of the Year Rosie Batty announced she will visit Wagga in May to address the city’s troubling statistics.
The issue also extended to the wider Riverina region, with more than 1000 reports of domestic assault reported in the past year.
It is interfering with efforts to keep a lid on property crimes.
Wagga crime manager Inspector Darren Cloake said the callouts were a significant strain on resources.
“There’s one car off the road that would normally be detecting other crimes, but it has to be done because family violence is a key priority and takes precedent over most other offences,” he said.
“It can make responding to break and enters difficult – but it has to be done.
“We saw 17 incidents over the weekend, but some weekends I have seen double that.”
If you need help contact Wagga’s Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service on 6921 6227 or the national family violence counselling service on 1800 737 732.