NSW Police call for help ending domestic violence crisis after three women killed in 10 hours

NSW Police have revealed prisons are “full” of domestic violence offenders, with domestic violence accounting for one in four adult court appearances.

Acting Deputy Commissioner of NSW Police Peter McKenna described domestic violence as the force’s “number one issue”.

The comments come after a horror weekend in which three women were killed in separate alleged domestic violence incidents across NSW.

McKenna said the challenge was particularly confronting because none of the three women were previously known to police as victims of domestic violence.

“None of them had AVOs in place and none of them were on our radar,” he said.

McKenna urged anyone with concerns about domestic violence to speak up.

“We need people. If they do have any information or any inkling of something occurring, please speak up. Tell someone so that we can do something about it.”

He described domestic violence as a “very complex” issue requiring a whole-of-society response.

The three women, aged 23, 70 and 90, were killed in separate incidents across NSW within about 10 hours on Saturday.

In Bondi, a 90-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death inside her unit , while a 23-year-old woman was fatally stabbed at a home in Kooringal , Wagga Wagga.

A 70-year-old woman was also found dead at a property in the Northern Tablelands after police were called to reports of a domestic violence incident.

Three men have been charged with murder over the deaths. Police allege the victims and accused were known to each other in the respective cases.

The weekend’s violence also included the death of a young boy following an alleged stabbing in the Blue Mountains , with two other children left fighting for life.

“Four different, disparate incidents took place, all different to each other, yet all with the same tragic outcome. So a really significant weekend for us and for the community at large,” he said.