The Safer Pathway Program (SPP) and a key component, a questionnaire known as the Domestic Violence Safety Assessment Tool, were described as having “only a limited effect” by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR).

The former police Local Area Command of Canobolas, which included Orange, was one of  two areas [with Sydney’s eastern suburbs] where the program was first implemented in 2014.

Under the SPP, women reporting domestic violence were assessed using the questionnaire.

Women assessed at being at serious risk were referred to a meeting with officials who developed a safety action plan for the victim.

BOCSAR executive director Dr Don Weatherburn said the questionnaire had proven unreliable.

“Many victims of domestic violence who are at serious risk of repeat victimisation are not getting the benefit of a safety action plan,” he said.

“BOCSAR is working on developing an improved screening tool to overcome this problem.”

The report used seven areas of domestic violence measures including the number of cases reported, the number of arrests and the number of police call-outs to test the scheme’s effectiveness.

It found that when the figures for SPP areas were compared to non-SPP areas there was little difference.

“No significant improvements were observed for any of the stage one sites [including Canobolas],” it said.

In the Canobolas area it found improvements in only three of the seven areas when matched with Griffith which did not have the SPP.

They were the number of domestic violence incidents, people proceeded against and the number of victims.

The report also criticised the questionnaire.

“It turned out to be a very poor instrument for measuring the risk of repeat domestic violence victimisation, often performing little better than chance,” it said.