A South Australia Police (SAPOL) scheme reached a major milestone last week, helping more than 1,000 people make an informed choice about their safety in relation to domestic violence.
Announcing the 1,000 person milestone, Premier Steven Marshall said SAPOL’s Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) was launched as a trial in 2018, aimed at allowing people to find out if their current or former partner had a criminal history.
Mr Marshall said that since the Scheme’s launch, 98 per cent of the 1,005 applications had been from women, with more than 360 meeting with police and a specialist domestic and family violence support worker to discuss their safety.
Minister for Human Services, Michelle Lensink said the uptake of the Scheme was clear evidence that the initiative was needed to support women making informed choices about their safety.
Assistant Minister for Domestic and Family Violence Prevention, Carolyn Power said the free and confidential online application could help people at risk find out if their partner had a history of violent offending, or other relevant information such as previous intervention orders.
Ms Power said red flags such as a partner tracking someone’s whereabouts; restricting their access to certain family or friends; or being quick to anger could be a reason to make an application.
“Even if there is no information for police to disclose, a person feeling at risk is still connected directly with a specialist domestic violence support,” Ms Power said.
She said nearly 63 per cent of South Australians who accessed the Scheme had not been connected with a domestic violence service before.
“Early intervention is crucial in changing the story for those at risk of experiencing abuse,” Ms Power said.
Information on how to make an application under the Scheme can be accessed at this PS News link.
