A mobile interface enabling frontline officers to respond to domestic and family violence (DFV) incidents with easily accessible information has been launched in the Queensland Police Service (QPS).
QPS Superintendent David Johnson joined Acting Superintendent Ben Martain to unveil the new tool, accessible by general duties police via their QLiTE mobile devices.
Supt Johnson said the QLiTE NextGen DV Search interface enabled officers to locate valuable information quickly and easily as they responded to domestic and family violence incidents.
He said the DV Search technology provided frontline officers with details on family relationships, history, orders and conditions relating to a DFV incident.
“This new platform has been developed specifically to enable our frontline officers to access crucial information on the relationships between all parties involved, including current and previous domestic violence orders, cross-orders, past relationships and referrals,” Supt Johnson said.
“The functionality means that at the point of crisis, police can clearly see and interpret pertinent information on an individual’s DFV relationships, which simplifies and allows more informed decisions than occurrence-based records.”
He said providing officers with the latest technology enabled them to access valuable information when attending a DFV incident, which was critical in ensuring the response was victim-centric.
Acting Superintendent Martain said that in 2020-21, QPS officers responded to more than 120,000 domestic violence occurrences, each one with complex dynamics that police often had to assess at the point of crisis.
“With 40 per cent of police time spent on responding to and investigating DFV incidents, it is vital that we provide our officers with immediate and clear access to all possible information at the time of an incident,” he said.
“We are committed to the ongoing education of our officers in this space, as well as the continual review and improvement of the methods we use to protect and support victims of domestic and family violence,” Acting Superintendent Martain said.
