70 Arrests in SA Police Domestic Violence Operation

An SA Police operation has resulted in 70 arrests over 116 alleged domestic violence offences in April, including of an elderly man who police say indecently assaulted his wife in the Barossa Valley. Police targeted 351 offenders as part of Operation Storm Days of Action, attending 443 addresses across the state. Acting Deputy Commissioner Philip Newitt said police had investigated 2,470 alleged domestic violence offenders since the operation began in July 2024, resulting in 519 arrests and another 131 reports. "Our proactive approach to domestic abuse through continuous compliance checks and searches continues to deter ongoing offending," Acting Deputy Commissioner Newitt said. "The recent two-week operation employed a deterrence approach towards perpetrators, with 117 support referrals made for offenders to access rehabilitation services. "As a result, some individuals accessed the SAPOL website to obtain support material, indicating offenders are willing to access services to seek assistance in modifying their behaviour. "This operation shows our commitment to preventing domestic abuse. Charges across state Among those arrested were a 76-year-old man from the Barossa Valley, who police say indecently assaulted his wife, breaching an intervention order. He was placed on home detention and is due to appear in court in June. A 29-year-old man from the state's far north was arrested over the alleged assault of his partner. He was charged with assault causing harm, three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of breaching an intervention order and assaulting or resisting police. He was remanded in custody. In Adelaide's east, a 48-year-old man on home detention for previous domestic violence-related assault charges on his ex-partner was arrested for aggravated assault, breach of intervention order and breach of bail. He was also remanded in custody. Commissioner declared 'crisis' South Australia's Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence handed down 136 recommendations in its report last August. Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja called the issue a "statewide crisis". "There's no single point of leadership within the government for the domestic and family violence system, and without government stewardship or an accountability mechanism, no-one is held responsible when services fail people or fail to support victim-survivors," she said at the time. The state government then announced $674 million in funding over 10 years to fight domestic violence, accepting 129 of the recommendations either "in full, in principle or in part". It committed to creating a new dedicated domestic violence unit within SA Police with more than 100 full-time staff by 2031-32. Family and domestic abuse-related offences reported or becoming known to police were up 5 per cent, comparing April 2025–March 2026 with the previous 12 months, according to the latest crime statistics released by SA Police.