Young people assaulting each other in group homes around Orange are contributing to the city's high rate of domestic violence.
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Senior police told a community safety meeting this week domestic violence was still a major problem in Orange with 145 incidents in the past six months.
Central West Police District crime manager Detective Inspector Bruce Grassick said the youth home situation was "unique" to Orange.
"We are quite unique in the fact we have a lot of group homes, a lot of younger people in group homes," he said.
We get a number of domestic violence incidents in those homes.
- Detective Inspector Bruce Grassick, crime manager
"We get a number of domestic violence incidents in those homes. Because they live together in a residence, that is deemed domestic violence. So even though they are not related in any way whatsoever but they live together and they assault each other in those group homes that will recorded as domestic violence."
He said police worked with the welfare agencies and the department of Family and Community Services over issues at the homes.
"Bearing in mind there are a lot of troubled children in those homes and the staff work very hard to reduce any issues. They hand-pick which kids go into certain homes, they make sure they try and don't have those clashes in those homes but they happen everywhere."
Central West Police District Chief Inspector Peter Atkins said Orange historically had a high rate of domestic violence.
"It is coming down from what it was but 145 incidents is still concerning," he said.
Inspector Grassick said police and welfare group work was leading to a fall in the number of repeat domestic violence offenders, which is down to about 14 per cent.
"Repeat offenders are going down. We monitor repeat offenders," he said.
He said that across a district stretching from Lithgow to far west NSW the Orange region had the lowest number of repeat offenders.
Police also revealed the level of alcohol-related assaults at licensed premises had "come down dramatically" in the past few months.
About 60-70 per cent of these assaults occur at people's homes, he said.
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