By ANEEKA SIMONIS
CARDINIA Shire crime statistics released last week revealed another grim increase of family violence incidents recorded in the past 12 months.
Between April 2014 and March 2015, police recorded 1265 family violence incidents in Cardinia Shire – up 7.6 per cent on the 12-month period where police received 1175 reports.
Over the past five years, recorded family violence incidents have increased by 110 per cent.
But Senior Sergeant Nathan Prowd of Pakenham police suggested the jump is not so much about increased violence as it is about victim’s increased sense of confidence in getting help.
“The community’s decreased tolerance for family violence may have helped people to be more confident to report matters to police,” he said.
State-wide, reported family violence incidents were also up 8.2 per cent on last year, with 69,442 incidents reported in the 2014-’15 term.
