The NSW Police Force will adorn their uniforms with white ribbons in support of the annual international White Ribbon campaign to help end domestic and family violence, NSW Police say.
Local community members are urged to join police as they take part in White Ribbon events across the state today (Friday 23 November 2018).
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller APM said the event is an important reminder to the community that police are committed to helping victims of domestic violence and that crimes of this nature will not be tolerated by police or the community.
"In the past 12 months alone, police have responded to more than 126,000 domestic-related incidents, which have a lasting impact on everyone involved," Commissioner Fuller said.
"Death or injury from domestic and family violence is tragic and unacceptable, and why we all, as a community, must reaffirm our ongoing commitment to preventing such acts.
"By coming together for events like White Ribbon Day, we take a public stand against perpetrators and show that this behaviour will not and should not be tolerated by anyone.
"While it remains clear a significant number of incidents go unreported, we encourage the community to contact police with any information about such occurrences.
"What you know could save someone’s life," Commissioner Fuller said.
Commissioner Fuller will join thousands who are expected to participate in the annual Sydney White Ribbon Day walk from Randwick to Coogee Beach today (Friday 23 November 2018).
NSW Police Corporate Sponsor for Domestic and Family Violence, Assistant Commissioner Mark Jones APM said police are proactively targeting offenders to seek justice for victims.
"The NSW Police Force has established Domestic Violence High Risk Offender Teams, which have now been rolled out across every region in the state," Assistant Commissioner Jones said.
"These teams of specialist police have been targeting the worst offenders and supporting the most vulnerable victims, and we have already seen positive results from this new proactive approach.
"Today is an important reminder to everyone in the community that NSW Police will not stand by and allow perpetrators to commit domestic and family violence-related crimes without facing the force of the law," Assistant Commissioner Jones said.
White Ribbon is an international campaign to end violence against women, which originated in Canada in 1991, and aims to recognise the positive role men play in preventing violence against women.
As part of the NSW Police Force’s ongoing commitment to end domestic violence, the Australasian Police Domestic Violence Forum was launched to continue the conversation around policing the crime in today’s society.
The three-day event, held last week from Tuesday 13 November to Thursday 15 November 2018, brought together representatives from across Australia, and international guests from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
Police across NSW will be involved with numerous events for White Ribbon Day. For more information on events in your community, please contact the relevant Police Area Command or Police District.
For further details about White Ribbon Day, including where you can purchase ribbons and how you can support, visit www.whiteribbon.org.au.
Anyone with information about domestic and family violence related incidents is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
