A STAGGERING 428 Wagga residents have been convicted of a domestic violence related offence in 2016.
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The silent scourge is interfering with efforts to keep a lid on property crimes, with police responding to – on average – between nine and 14 incidents every day.
It comes as the city claimed the cruel and cowardly record of having the state’s biggest spike in domestic violence in September, according to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
Junee, 50 per cent, and Wagga, 36.7 percent, recorded the highest rates of domestic violence increases in NSW last year.
Superintendent Bob Noble said tackling family abuse will be a leading priority for Wagga police in 2017.
“Domestic violence is a big driver of our activity, which greatly inhibits our ability to do deal with things like property and alcohol-related crime,” he said.
“Most families try to resolve the issue discreetly, sometimes through a misplaced sense of loyalty.”