From Monday, police will be texting family violence offenders

From next week, ACT Policing will start sending text messages to people charged with family violence offences and those subject to family violence orders.

The Family Violence Bail, Orders and Compliance Short Messaging Service will remind individuals subject to family-violence related bail conditions or family violence orders of their obligations, while also providing support services, and offering a police point of contact for recipients.

The program will be tested over six months to decide whether SMS reminders would influence compliance rates and reduce the breaches of family-violence-related orders and conditions.

Police said that not everyone subject to family violence-related bail conditions or family violence orders would receive an SMS reminder during the program's trial.

'Really pervasive issue': Police minister

ACT Police Minister Marisa Paterson said she hoped the new text message service would improve compliance with family violence orders.

Dr Paterson said more than 5,500 family violence matters had been reported to police since July last year.

"Ultimately we would like to see more compliance with the orders, so you know I think this is really important," she told 666 ABC Radio Canberra.

Acting Chief Police Officer Richard Chin said officers responded to an average of 12 domestic and family violence matters daily.

Assistant Commissioner Chin said the SMS service was a "practical way to reinforce the obligations of people who are subject to bail conditions or family violence orders".

"By providing clear and timely reminders, we want to ensure that there can be no ambiguity about the conditions they are required to comply with," he said.

He said the messages would not replace police enforcement.

Police not concerned texts could aggravate offenders

Canberrans have voiced concerns that the text message trial could aggravate offenders.

One listener messaged ABC Radio Canberra 666 and said while the trial is a good idea, it could make the perpetrator "go nuts" and could be a case of "do not poke the bear".

In a press conference this morning, police said they were not concerned the new text message service could prompt breaches of family-violence-related bail conditions or family violence orders.

Detective Acting Inspector Sam Norm said the service had been successful in other jurisdictions in improving compliance.

"We won't be surprising anybody with new information, it will only be sent to people who are already aware of their conditions, and have received a copy of their family violence order served on them, and we will just be reminding them of their obligations under that," Mr Norm said.

He also emphasised that victims would not influence whether perpetrators were messaged.

'Will it work?'

Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT chief executive Sue Webeck said that information for those subject to family violence orders was important.

"In a human rights jurisdiction being assured that people are given every opportunity to comply with conditions set out in those [processes] is fundamental to the way our systems operate."

But the chief executive questioned the effectiveness of the program.

"Will it work to increase the safety of those impacted by domestic and family violence?" she said.

The chief executive said DVCS had not received "any direct service level with ACT Policing regarding this initiative, so we are not clear on how contact will originate and how the messages will be sent or from which part of ACT Policing".

"We are at this stage unclear what information they will be using about referrals into intervention programs or supports," she said.

The program will come into effect on Monday.