Stage 1

1. report received by police
2. police officer asks questions for a risk assessment
3. evidence gathered
4. suspect questioned
5. Investigation starts

Various outcomes possible regarding the suspect.

Once a report is made to the police, there are some immediate actions to ensure your safety. These will be done by a uniformed officer and it is called ‘safety planning’, in some cases, this also happens over the phone. The officer will ask you several questions which is a risk assessment, and this helps the officer understand your individual situation and what risk the suspect poses to you.

An officer in the case (OIC) will be allocated to the case and you will also be asked to tell the officer in as much detail as possible what has happened, this may be on a written statement or by a visually recorded interview. The person who is suspected of committing domestic abuse related offences against you may be arrested and they will then be detained in custody at a police station and interviewed about the alleged offences. They will either be released with no further action, charged with an offence, cautioned, or released on bail with conditions not to contact you and other conditions to help you feel safe. The police may apply for a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) which if granted by the court, will tell the suspect they must stay away from you for a certain amount of time. Support will continue even if the case results in no further action.