Orange is no longer ranked among the top 20 local government areas for domestic assault.
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The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has ranked Orange at 29 in the state for 2016, with 254 domestic cases, down from 313 in 2015.
Orange was previously ranked at 14th in the state in 2013, 16th in 2014 and 18th in 2015.
Domestic assault cases occur in Orange at a rate of 607.5 per 100,000 people, less than double the state average at 381.3 cases per 100,000 people.
Canobolas Local Area Command (LAC) acting crime manager Detective Sergeant Andy McLean said there were many factors which include domestic violence in the city.
“I think we can attribute a lot of the decline in those statistics to education the community, and the changing attitudes in reporting domestic violence as a result,” he said.
“People are more prepared to report domestic violence and more prepared to not put up with it.”
Detective Sergeant McLean said Canobolas LAC had trialed sharing information between the health, housing and family and community service departments.
“We meet to discuss people at a high risk of domestic violence, we’re exchanging information a lot more freely,” he said.
“There’s things that may be picked up by the health department, people may be presenting to hospital with injuries that police may not be aware of.”
However, he said there was still more work to do and encouraged people to report to police.
“The command is very pleased with the response from the community when it comes to domestic violence,” Detective Sergeant McLean said.
“It’s never acceptable and the more information we receive about it, the more action we can take.”
Orange’s Pay It Forward co-founder Karlie Irwin was cautious about the decline and said there was a great need for crisis shelter in the city.
“Regardless of what statistics are showing, certainly the decrease is positive, but I don’t believe it is an issue we’ll ever be able to eliminate,” Mrs Irwin said.
She said the crime statistics didn’t include cases of domestic violence which weren’t reported.
“There are people who leave a relationship and seek crisis accommodation but they haven’t reported it.”
Declan Rurenga
Declan Rurenga was the editor of Griffith's Area News and Leeton's Irrigator until September 2023. Before landing at the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, he reported news in Junee, Wagga Wagga, Orange and Cootamundra.
Declan Rurenga was the editor of Griffith's Area News and Leeton's Irrigator until September 2023. Before landing at the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, he reported news in Junee, Wagga Wagga, Orange and Cootamundra.
