Deputy Commissioner said domestic and family-related violence was the challenging community issue of our generation.
- NSW Police arrested 648 people, including 164 of the state's most wanted domestic violence offenders.
- A total of 1,153 charges were laid, with police also seizing drugs and dangerous weapons during the four-day blitz.
- Deputy Commissioner said domestic and family-related violence was the challenging community issue of our generation.
This article contains references to domestic violence.
More than 600 people have been charged following a four-day domestic violence blitz by NSW Police.
Police arrested 648 people, including 164 of the state's most wanted domestic violence offenders, in a wide-ranging operation last week dubbed Operation Amarok One.
Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said he wanted to treat domestic violence with the same seriousness applied to gang crime.
"Some of these individuals that were arrested through the operation scare me, even with years of organised crime behind me," he told reporters on Tuesday.
A total of 1,153 charges were laid, with police seizing drugs and dangerous weapons.
Police in Sydney's west arrested a 17-year-old boy wanted for domestic violence-related damage.
The teenager, armed with a machete, appeared to run and hide the weapon behind some shrubbery before he was arrested.
During another search on the NSW South Coast, police found a man suspected of contravening a domestic violence order hiding under a secret trapdoor inside a cupboard.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith speaks to the media during a press conference in Sydney. Source: AAP / Bianca de Marchi
Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said domestic and family-related violence was the most challenging community issue of our generation.
"We continue to battle the perception that domestic violence is a 'family matter' and therefore should be treated as 'private business'," he said on Tuesday.
"That is certainly not the case. It is a community matter, and we all have a part to play in stopping the senseless loss of lives due to this crime."
Last year, a Domestic and Family Violence Reform Project was established to change the way police respond to and prevent domestic violence, targeting those who perpetuate violence.
It is estimated one woman dies at the hands of a former or current partner every 10 days in Australia.
New federal laws, which come into effect from Wednesday, mean seven million workers
If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
