Queensland’s South-West Policing District, including Charleville, Roma and Dalby have improved their capability in responding to domestic and family violence (DFV) incidents by implementing the South-West District Domestic and Family Violence, and Vulnerable Persons Unit (SWD DFVVPU).
The newly established unit, led by Senior Sergeant Derek Brady, comprises of a team of nine passionate, specialist officers who bring backgrounds of Police Prosecutions, Intelligence, Crime Prevention, Detective Training, DFV High Risk Teams, First Response Policing, and Scenes of Crime Forensic examinations.
“This unit will play an integral and essential role in developing our responding capability for those impacted by Domestic and Family Violence,” Senior Sergeant Brady said.
“The South-West District Domestic and Family Violence, and Vulnerable Persons Unit bring together the expertise of multiple professionals within the field who will be able to better inform front-line officer responses.”
The officers, while positioned in Charleville, Roma and Dalby, travel across the largest geographical areas in the state, spreading from Dalby in the east, south to the New South Wales border and as far west as the South Australian border, to support frontline officers in addressing complex and high-risk DFV matters, and prioritising the safety of DFV victim-survivors and vulnerable people who are elderly, have a disability or are impacted by mental ill-health.
This initiative has a highly successful history within the Queensland Police Service in addressing recommendations made by the Independent Commissions of Inquiry into responses to domestic and family violence.
To celebrate the establishment of this new unit, Officers from Charleville, St George, Roma, Miles and Cunnamulla recently drove hundreds of kilometres to join their colleagues in Dalby to attend the DFVVPU ‘Operational Readiness’ workshop, which hosted many insightful and productive conversations, discussing ways of establishing the team as a sustainable and effective resource.
