New South Wales Police have arrested 681 suspects and laid 1,594 charges during a three-day statewide operation targeting domestic and family violence.
Operation Amarok 15 Seizes Firearms and Targets High-Risk Offenders
The blitz, named Operation Amarok 15, ran from Thursday November 12 to Saturday November 14. It was an intelligence-led, offender-focused campaign aimed at protecting victims and targeting high-risk perpetrators. The Domestic and Family Violence Command led the operation, supported by officers from regional Domestic Violence High Risk Offenders Teams (DVHROT) and specialist units.
Across the three days, police executed 239 arrest warrants. Officers also conducted 11,375 apprehended domestic violence order (ADVO) compliance checks, during which they identified 283 breaches. In a separate effort, 109 firearms prohibition order (FPO) searches were carried out, resulting in the seizure of 73 firearms and 21 weapons.
Minister Highlights Police Determination and Community Role
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley stated the results demonstrate police determination to hold offenders accountable. “More than 1,500 charges laid across three days and dozens of guns seized. These results show the tireless work of police to keep us safe, including by removing weapons from alleged high-risk offenders,” Ms Catley said.
She added, “These numbers are confronting, but they’re also a reminder of the extraordinary work police do to arrest alleged offenders, protect victims and make our community safer.” The minister called for a whole-of-community effort, noting that police respond at the crisis end. “We need a whole-of-community effort to call out this vile offending and help prevent it before it occurs. We all have a role to play, if you suspect anything, you must report it to police.”
Specific Cases Illustrate Severity of Violence
Police recounted one incident in Coraki where a 39-year-old man allegedly assaulted and strangled a 26-year-old woman known to him, preventing her from leaving their home. The man was also allegedly armed with a pistol and damaged the woman’s phone. Following an investigation, he was arrested on Friday November 13 and charged with multiple offences, including stalking and breaching an apprehended violence order.
In another case, officers attended an address in Waterloo to arrest a 35-year-old man for domestic violence-related offences. The man fled on foot but was later located and arrested in Leichhardt alongside a 27-year-old man. The 35-year-old was charged with contravening an AVO, resisting police, and giving a false name. The 27-year-old was charged with similar AVO breaches, as well as possessing a prohibited drug and goods suspected stolen. Both were refused bail.
Operation Amarok Part of Ongoing Effort
Operation Amarok began in 2023, created to address domestic and family violence with the same serious focus traditionally given to organised crime or counter-terrorism threats. Since its inception, police have made a total of 9,478 arrests and laid more than 20,000 charges. Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna, the Domestic and Family Violence Corporate Spokesperson, said operations like Amarok allow police to proactively target offenders and enforce court orders. “Our message is clear: domestic and family violence will not be tolerated, and offenders can expect to be identified, targeted and brought before the courts,” he said.
Sources
- Police arrest 681 in state-wide domestic violence blitz
- Police arrest 681 in state-wide domestic violence blitz
- Operation Amarok 15 Leads to 681 Arrests, 1,500+ Charges
- 681 DV related arrests across NSW in Amarok Op
Photo: Love Makes A Way (CC BY-SA 2.0)
