Australia set up domestic violence task force

Australia's Victoria Police has commissioned a task force responsible for tackling the issue of family violence, the first of its kind to be created in Australia.

The Family Violence Command was launched on Tuesday by newly- appointed Assistant Commissioner Dean McWhirter, who has 35 years of experience as part of Victoria Police.

In a statement released on Tuesday, he pledged to help stop family violence in all forms, from physical assault to sexual assault or child abuse.

"I promise two things, to always listen and to put the victim's needs at the center of everything we do," he said.

Family violence is a growing problem throughout the state, and statistics from the Sentencing Advisory Council in 2013 highlighted an increase of 72.8 percent in reports of family violence incidents to Victoria Police between 2004 and 2012.

Recent efforts from Australian of the Year Rosie Batty brought the issue to full attention in Australian society after her 11- year-old son was murdered by his father on a cricket field in February last year.

Victoria Police Acting Chief Commissioner Tim Cartwright labelled McWhirter as "a powerful leader in our organization".

"We think the appointment of Dean (McWhirter) will actually help us a lot so that it's easier for people to come to us with influence and for us to get a picture of is best practice across the world and apply it within Victoria," he told 774 ABC radio on Tuesday. Endi