0004865816679686.pdf (147.74 kB)
Policing intimate partner violence in Victoria (Australia): examining police attitudes and the potential of specialisation
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 09:06 authored by Marie Segrave, Dean WilsonDean Wilson, Kate Fitz-GibbonThe adequacy of police responses to intimate partner violence has long animated scholarly debate, review and legislative change. While there have been significant shifts in community recognition of and concern about intimate partner violence, particularly in the wake of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence, it nonetheless remains a significant form of violence and harm across Australian communities and a key issue for police, as noted in the report and recommendations of the Royal Commission. This article draws on findings from semi-structured interviews (n 163) with police in Victoria and pursues two key inter- related arguments. The first is that police attitudes towards incidents of intimate partner violence remain overwhelmingly negative. Despite innovations in policy and training, we suggest that this consistent dissatisfaction with intimate partner violence incidents as a poli- cing task indicates a significant barrier, possibly insurmountable, to attempts to reform the policing of intimate partner violence via force-wide initiatives and the mobilisation of general duties for this purpose. Consequently, our second argument is that specialisation via a com- mitment to dedicated intimate partner violence units – implemented more consistently and comprehensively than Victoria Police has to date – extends the greatest promise for effective policing of intimate partner violence in the future.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of CriminologyISSN
0004-8658Publisher
SAGE PublicationsExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
51Page range
99-116Department affiliated with
- Sociology and Criminology Publications
Research groups affiliated with
- Crime Research Centre Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2017-11-29First Open Access (FOA) Date
2017-11-29First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2017-11-29Usage metrics
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