VICTORIAN courts already have the power to order family violence offenders to wear a GPS monitoring unit that alerts authorities if the person gets too close to a victim, Attorney-General Robert Clark has confirmed.

Mr Clark said the government had already introduced laws allowing magistrates and judges to order family violence perpetrators to be GPS monitored and tracked.

The Police Association wants an overhaul of the system of intervention orders, and for cases of family violence to be handed over to qualified experts after an initial police response.

A new Galaxy poll finds family violence is one of the crimes that most concerns Victorians.

“The Police Association are proposing an extension to that capability. We are looking forward to speaking to the Police Association about their ideas,” Mr Clark said.

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He could not say how many family violence offenders had been ordered to undergo GPS monitoring since the powers were introduced about a year ago.

“This is capacity that we’ve made available to the court. It’s a matter for the court when they deploy that capacity.

“GPS monitoring deployed in Victoria operate in real time, they can be set up to put no-go zones around family violence victims’ homes or workplaces.

“They will set off a real time alarm if a perpetrator breaches an order and goes too close to a home or a workplace and police or other authorities are then able to respond.”

Mr Clark said GPS monitoring can be ordered for any perpetrator on a community corrections order, including a family violence offender.

The devices are also used for sex offenders and some parolees.

The government has a contract for several hundred monitoring units, and Mr Clark said the capacity was there to expand the use of them.

“There is currently already a monitoring centre operated by Corrections Victoria, there’d be multiple options for an extension of the system run by corrections ... the technology is there, we have a contract in place that can make many hundreds of these devices available.

“We won’t hesitate to extend the use of GPS monitoring devices as and when we can to better protect the community.’

Mr Clark said the government would discuss the recommendations with the Police Association and Chief Commissioner Ken Lay.

Expanding the use of the devices wouldn’t necessarily need an increase in police numbers, he said.

Yesterday, Police Association secretary Senior-Sergeant Ron Iddles said family violence was now, for the first time, an issue in an election campaign.

FAMILY VIOLENCE A TOP CONCERN

And he said in the run-up to the November 29 election, the association would be looking for the Coalition and Labor to support:

REQUIRING those who breach a family violence safety notice or intervention order for a third time to wear an electronic bracelet and abide by no-go zones set up to protect victims.

EXPANDING the use of family violence safety notices, now used only when courts are out of session and which require less paperwork.

NEW multi-agency teams of experts, from agencies such as the Departments of Health and Justice, to follow an initial police response and try to change perpetrators’ behaviour.

RESTORING funding for the Victorian Systemic Review of Family Violence Deaths, run from the State Coroner’s office, which investigated whether warning signs may have been missed. It produced just one report after losing its funding in 2010.

Sen-Sgt Iddles said police usually only learned of breaches of intervention orders when it was too late.

“Under this proposal the offenders will, in effect, be monitored by GPS - it might actually prevent assault and homicides,’’ he said.

“We’re saying if family violence is the number one issue in the state, and people are so concerned about it, we should treat it seriously,” he said.

“Surely, if the victim is at risk, we have to eliminate that risk.

“It’ll be the same as for paedophiles (who are monitored). With extended supervision orders, legislation is there to say that a person poses an unacceptable risk to the community,” he said.

“We’d say these family violence offenders pose an unacceptable risk to their victims.

“If you ask any of them, they will tell you that they live in fear that one day it’s going to happen to them.

‘’Ringing 000 is the only lifeline they’ve got at the moment.’’

Sen-Sgt Iddles said metropolitan and regional centres would need to be set up to monitor the bracelets, but it wasn’t the union’s role to work out funding.

“Sure, this is out of the box, but it’s not something that can’t be achieved. It could be achieved,’’ he said.

“It would have to be by court order, similar to extended supervision orders,’’ he said.

“Unless we start to do something different, we will not stop the breaches.

“The alternative is, the offender is incarcerated - and that will be even more expensive.’’

Sen-Sgt Iddles wants family violence safety notices, issued by police to protect victims when courts are not in session, to be more widely available.

Police issued 5543 of the notices, which carry the same weight as an intervention order, last year; there were 10,487 intervention orders.

“They’re effective, more timely. You can have a police officer tied up for four hours on an

intervention order,’’ Sen-Sgt Iddles said.

And he said the 27 police family violence units should be joined by experts from areas such as the Department of Human Services and Department of Justice, who are trained in changing behaviour.

“I don’t think family violence is solely a police matter,’’ he said.

“We say there needs to be a multi-agency approach to the problem. With an intervention order, you could report to a central centre managed by specialists.

“Police aren’t trained to do it. You need three or four specialists and you’ve got to do the work to change the behaviour.’’

ellen.whinnett@news.com.au

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VICTIM’S MUM BACKS REFORMS

THE mother of a woman killed by her violent boyfriend has backed calls for an overhaul of the family violence system, saying it had failed to protect her baby girl.

Shaye Beck’s daughter, Jade Bownds, 22, was stabbed four times in the back by Luke John Middendorp, who told her she got what she deserved as she bled to death.

Middendorp was known to police for family violence.

The verdict of defensive homicide meant the jury found the 90kg man believed he was defending himself against the 50kg Ms Bownds, but without good reason.

Mrs Beck said the system needed an overhaul, which should include education in high school: “These kids, they’re not finding the reasons about why they’re so angry. They’re not communicating. And girls have such low self-esteem they don’t realise everyone has the right to be respected.

“I used to see stories about domestic violence and think, ‘That’s so tragic. Thank God it’s not my family’,’’ she said.

“Then one day it comes to your door, and you realise it can happen to anyone.’’