Coroner Simon Cooper handed down his findings today in relation to the death of Jessica Ann Kupsch in 2012. We note the recommendations of the Coroner and pass on our condolences to Ms Kupsch’s family.
As a result of an internal review in 2012/2013, Tasmania Police implemented a new policy requiring an Inspector of Police to review and approve any plea bargains that relate to high risk family violence offenders. This policy is aimed at providing a higher level of oversight in all prosecutions involving high risk offenders.
It is a current policy of Tasmania Police to ensure family violence offenders are brought to justice expediently. The gathering of corroborative evidence at the earliest opportunity is imperative for a successful prosecution.
Tasmania Police has implemented a process under the new Safe Families Coordination Unit where all high risk family violence incidents are reviewed to assist in the investigation and apprehension of offenders.
The role of Safe Families Coordination Unit, which officially opened its doors last month, is to protect vulnerable families through a coordinated response to support victims and their children. The Unit is led by police, and five additional officers have been employed to work alongside specialists from Health and Human Services, Education and Justice.
For the first time, these agency specialists are co-located to assess incidents and share information to provide an early and complete picture of high risk households, and implement support for them.
Tasmania Police has also employed an additional three specialist family violence prosecutors dedicated to assisting victims of family violence.
The close collaboration between agencies draws together information that, in isolation, may not raise a red flag. This coordinated information is invaluable to the frontline services working directly with victims and the perpetrators of the violence.
Richard Cowling
Assistant Commissioner