Auburn police crime manager Detective Inspector Chris Laird, who also oversees the Strathfield area, said many victims were unwilling to come forward, afraid of becoming re-traumatised by the court process.
Instead, allegations were lodged by a third party, such as friends and families, on behalf of victims or referrals from royal commissions.
“Sadly, unless the offender admits it, sometimes the community attitude is that women aren’t believed,” he said.
Detective Inspector Laird said victims from Asian or Middle-Eastern backgrounds tended to be more reluctant to come forward due to “cultural” factors.
He said many causes Auburn police investigated only surfaced from documents lodged in family law courts or as part of a statement of claim in another case.
NSW Police said it issued a directive 18 months ago, following a review, requiring detectives to personally review sexual assault cases where no legal action was taken.
This has involved approaching victims – sometimes multiple times by different officers – and asking them to make a statement.
Redfern Legal Centre’s Samantha Lee said there were also “tremendous hurdles” for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, particularly in remote and rural areas that were often over-police and where anonymity was “extremely difficult”.
“Reporting a crime to a white, male police officer is seen as just not an option,” she said.
Walgett in northern NSW, Waverley in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and Canterbury-Bankstown in Sydney’s south-west were highlighted this week in an ABC investigation as suburbs where sexual assault claims were most likely to be rejected by police.
This was followed by Sydney and Strathfield.
Read the full article here (ABC News, 1 February 2020)
Sexual assault support services:
- 1800 Respect national helpline: 1800 737 732
- Lifeline (24 hour crisis line): 131 114
- Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
