West Australian police do a good job of working with victims of domestic violence but all agencies would benefit from more training, a public inquiry has heard.
The parliamentary committee is examining how WA Police evaluates the protection it provides to victims of family and domestic violence.
Director of Public Prosecutions Joe McGrath said police did a good job of laying the correct charges, identifying witnesses, providing forensic evidence to the DPP, and completing further enquiries in a timely manner.
Mr McGrath acknowledged there had been general communication problems between the DPP and WA Police before 2010, but said that had since improved.
"Police play a critical role in dealing with the victim (of domestic violence), and in particular, in the regions," he told the inquiry on Wednesday.
Department for Child Protection and Child Support director-general Emma White supported further domestic violence training for all agencies, including police.
Ms White said her department had doubled its presence in the Kimberley region, where domestic violence was particularly a problem, since 2008.
Police had also worked hard to increase their presence, she told the inquiry.
The inquiry is part of a year-long investigation to ensure proper evaluation is in place for the Frontline 2020 policing reforms.
Share
