Discussions were led by Superintendent Brett Kahan and Acting Inspector Mark Byers from the Victoria Police Eastern Region leadership team.
The forum focused on crime trends, crime prevention, young people, family violence, road policing and drug-related crime across the Benalla Police Service Area, which includes Benalla, Mansfield and Murrindindi LGAs.
Acting Senior Sergeant Jen Parker discussed the commitment of the Family Violence and Sexual Offences, and Child Abuse Investigation Team to hold perpetrators accountable and break the cycle of family violence.
“Family violence reports had increased by 15 per cent in the area compared to last year,” Sen Sgt Parker said.
She stated that the increase indicated victims of family violence had trust in police and matters like this would be treated respectfully.
The majority of family violence incidents reported across the Benalla PSA were described as verbal incidents, with emotional abuse the second-highest form of family violence reported.
Emotional abuse can include excluding someone from spending time with family or friends, it may also include statements such as ‘If you loved me then you would do this for me’ to control someone.
Sen Sgt Parker said children were present in three quarters of recorded incidents of family violence.
“While not being directly the victim of the violence, being witness to incidents of family violence causes harm and many live with the effects of trauma from family violence,” she said.
“It is important to continue have discussions within our community that family violence is not acceptable and police are available at any time to support victims.
“Detectives work closely with agencies such as Centre Against Violence, Benalla Health and Child Protection to support aggrieved family members.”
Leading Senior Constable Chris Di Ciero from the Proactive Policing Unit discussed the role of early intervention and building trust between police and young people.
Leading Sen Constable Di Ciero acknowledged the partnership between police and local schools, councils and support services for opportunities to engage with youth and help curb young people offending.
She explained that members of the PPU played an important role in educating young people about issues relevant to young people such as online safety, consent and road safety.
Acting Senior Sergeant Mel Walker spoke about road safety across the division and highlighted that reducing road trauma was not just the responsibility of highway patrol members, but a priority for all members of Victoria Police.
She acknowledged motorcycle riders were vulnerable road users and overly represented in serious injury collisions across our division.
“While rural roads can be quite unpredictable due to challenges such as rough road surfaces, fog and wildlife, speed was still the highest recorded contributor of serious injury and fatal collisions,” she said.
Sen Sgt Walker also discussed how the community played a big role in helping keep roads safe, and urged members of the community who wanted to provide information about unsafe drivers to contact Crime Stoppers.
“Alternatively, if you witness dangerous driving and need immediate police assistance, call 000,” she said.
Crime Investigation Unit manager Senior Sergeant Costakis Costa discussed recent crime data and said police had been focused on firearm storage compliance.
Sen Sgt Costa recommended that firearm owners do not store firearms at unoccupied locations, which have been targeted by offenders across the state.
He also discussed an increase in drug possession statistics over the past year, stating that it was a positive sign that police were targeting concerns regarding drugs in the community.
At the forum, following the mantra of ‘see something, say something’, community members were encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers or their local police station if they had concerns a crime may have been committed, including concerns about drug dealing or other criminal activity.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said it valued the opportunity to discuss local issues with the community, and encouraged people who lived, worked or often visited the Benalla area to follow the Eyewatch - Benalla Police Service Area Facebook page to stay connected.
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