Police target ‘lethal’ DV list

POLICE have a list of “lethal” men and women they fear could kill their partners.

Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce boss Marc Hogan said information and monitoring of a “lethal few” was crucial to the police and State Government crackdown on domestic violence.

“What we’re aiming for is to prevent extreme events like homicides,” he said.

“We have the serious violence team which have, over the last year, become quite skilled at recognising people with the potential for committing extreme violence. We are trying to prevent the Tara Brown matters.

Ms Brown was bludgeoned to death two years ago by her estranged boyfriend, bikie enforcer Lionel Patea. Patea pleaded guilty to her murder.

Nine Gold Coast women have been murdered by “loved” ones since 2014.

In March, the State government passed groundbreaking reforms after a Bulletin campaign demanding tougher new laws around domestic violence.

Offenders must now prove they are reformed to be released from jail and wear GPS trackers. A DV alert system in which victims will be warned when their perpetrators get out of jail was also passed.

Dectective Inspector Hogan would not reveal how many people were on the list, only saying it was long.

“We have a list of people who we will always look at ... this list can change daily.

“We ensure that every time frontline police go to a domestic violence (job) that it’s au- dited and fits within what’s required.

“The new big thing is the issue of strangulation.

“If the issue of strangulation comes out in the narrative of that particular case, that’s taken very seriously.”

Since the taskforce was established in January 2016, Det Insp Hogan said his team had prevented numerous deaths.

Yet, he said offenders not well-known to local police – those from interstate, overseas and who had been released from institutions – often posed the highest risk.

“They’re not at the forefront of systems.”

Det Insp Hogan said he hoped a coming independent review of the taskforce, to be conducted by Griffith University, would help highlight the unit’s ability to combat domestic violence on the Gold Coast.

He said the job would not be possible without collaboration with government agencies like the Department of Communities, non-government groups like the Red Rose Foundation and legislative changes made by the State Government.

“A lot of the barriers that may have existed before in terms of collaboration have disintegrated because if you really want to do things well, you’ve got to collaborate.”