Hundreds of people have been arrested and charged – one found hiding in a concealed trapdoor allegedly in breach of a court-imposed order – in a massive police blitz targeting some of NSW’s most dangerous domestic violence offenders.
Sweeping raids were conducted on homes from January 24-27 during Operation Amarok One, a multi-agency police strategy which brought in officers from every police district in the state.
Specialist teams such as the Domestic Violence High-Risk offender Teams (DVHROT) were also involved in the operation.
A total of 648 people were arrested in the four-day crackdown – 164 of which were NSW’s most wanted domestic violence offenders.
Officers served 655 outstanding Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders (ADVOs), conducting another 3890 ADVO compliance checks, 1324 bail compliance checks and 119 Firearms Prohibition Order (FPO) searches.
Nineteen firearms and 49 prohibited weapons – along with various types of illicit drugs – were also seized.
One of the standout cases involved a firearm and weapon search at a home in Barrack Heights just before 9am on January 25.
A 32-year-old man was found hiding underneath the house, using a concealed trapdoor in a cupboard.
Police allege he was contravening an ADVO. Police also allegedly located an extendible baton during the search.
He will front Wollongong Local Court on March 7 on charges of contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO (domestic), possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit and use prohibited weapon contrary to prohibition order.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said domestic violence should not be seen as a “family matter” or “private business”.
