A collaborative working group made up of a of over 30 years experience including a serving Detective, Frontline officer and Tactician. Extensive experience in investigating serious and violent Domestic and Family Violence including DFV homicide. Committed to developing prevention strategies to reduce DFV within the community and subsequent calls for service resulting in reduction in frontline demand.
Presentation
Domestic violence Early Intervention Project (DEIP): Using nudges as an early engagement and DFV prevention strategy
Mr Gerard Moore1, Mr Simon Guildford1, Mr Darren Green1
1Qps, Ipswich, Brisbane, Australia
Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) remains a pervasive issue, despite bipartisan governmental support in Australia. Systematic reviews highlight a scarcity of intervention literature and methodological shortcomings. This presentation details a police-led randomised controlled trial targeting DFV incidents that fall short of the legal threshold for protection orders. The objective of the trial was to minimise the non-acceptance of support service referrals and reduce recurrent DFV incidents. The intervention involved sending a follow up text message to both parties post-police visit. The message contained an opt-in option for recipients to receive further contact from police to clarify DFV, why police attended and offer referrals to independent support services. Sent 24-48 hours after initial contact, these messages aimed to overcome communication obstacles experienced during crisis intervention. Over three months, 1215 cases were reviewed, with 300 messages successfully delivered, prompting 10.33% of recipients to seek further police engagement. Among these, 43% accepted additional support. The results identified a 49.6% decrease in repeat DFV cases within the messaged cohort, compared to standard procedures. This innovative and highly efficient approach demonstrates the potential of proactive communication strategies in DFV response and prevention.