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Media
Protective Group have featured on TV, print and radio shows such as Channel Nine News, ABC News, 7.30 Report and Logies nominated TV documentary 'See What You Made Me Do".
We are often invited by media outlets to provide our experiences and expert opinion on Technology Abuse and Domestic Violence.
Contact media@protectivegroup.com.au for media enquiries.


Why Tracking Your Partner Is A Red Flag
Protective Group was invited on The Project to discuss Technology Abuse and a recent report that found one in ten Australians think it's perfectly fine to know our partner's location at all times.
Protective Group, CEO Stephen Wilson discussed the lengths perpetrators go to when constantly monitoring their victims.
Protective Group, CEO Stephen Wilson discussed the lengths perpetrators go to when constantly monitoring their victims.


Victorian laws leaving victims vulnerable to dangerous surveillance technology
Tracking of women through covert stalkerware is rampant in Victoria and new laws are needed to hold perpetrators to account, family violence experts say.
The call comes amid demands for stronger controls to be imposed on “disgraceful” spyware vendors which sell the dangerous surveillance technology to jealous and controlling men, promising to uncover the “truth” about their target for as little as $20 a month.
Security specialists who sweep the devices of women who fear they are being stalked say there’s been an explosion in the use of stalkerware by family violence perpetrators, particularly in the past six months.
These “cyber weapons” enable offenders to secretly track their victim’s every move – and are sold without oversight or restriction.
“Read their social media chats, review their texts (including deleted messages), see where they’ve been, find out who they’ve called, see what they’ve searched for (and) do it all without being detected,” one spyware website promotes.
Family violence specialists are demanding tech-enabled abusive behaviours be criminalised. Picture: Jason Edwards
Family violence specialists are demanding tech-enabled abusive behaviours be criminalised. Another company promises to “take complete control of the device, letting you know everything, no matter where you are”.
In one case this week, a Victorian woman sought help after receiving messages from her ex-partner saying he knew intimate details about her life, including what she was wearing and where she was going.
Her phone was found to be contaminated with spyware capable of remotely accessing her camera.
Tristan Wilson of Protective Group, which removes tracking devices and spyware from victims’ homes, cars and possessions, said women are often wrongly labelled as crazy when they share suspicious they are being stalked.
He says most women's’ gut feelings are correct, with stalkerware now detected by his company on a weekly basis, notably in cases where the victim and perpetrator are involved in joint court proceedings.
“When women say someone is listening to my calls, seeing my messages and knows my every move and is reiterating that back to me – some think that’s government level CIA stuff, but it’s not. It’s technology available for $20 online,” Mr Wilson said.
“A lot of victims aren’t believed and it’s put down to mental health or them going crazy.
Victorian women are increasingly being tracked through covert stalkerware, some of which allow remote access to mobile phone content.
“When we find spyware on their devices, they break down. In a way it’s awfully confronting but equally (it reinforces) a belief within themselves that they weren’t making it up or being paranoid – this was happening to them.
“It happens a lot before matters go to family court where the perpetrator hacks into the phone calendar to know what the next steps are with lawyers.”
In Victoria, there is no specific offence to punish this growing form of abuse; a known indicator of future physical or lethal violence.
Dr Chelsea Tobin, CEO of Safe Steps 24/7 Family Violence Response Centre, is among those in the family violence sector calling for immediate action to protect lives.
“This is a significant gap that must be addressed. The current laws are limited and leave victims quite vulnerable,” Dr Tobin said.
“We call for laws to be strengthened to specifically criminalise tech-enabled abusive behaviours through the establishment of clear legal prohibitions and penalties to deter perpetrators.”
Phillip Ripper, CEO of No to Violence, the peak body working with men who use violence, agreed that laws hadn’t kept pace with the modern reality of what women are experiencing.
“Spyware is definitely on the rise. It’s far more ubiquitous, readily accessible and easy to install,” Mr Ripper said.
He said many men don’t see tracking their ex or current partner’s phone as abuse.
“Men can be quite good at justifying their own behaviour to themselves. A lot of men write it off as not being a form of family violence. But for victims the torment of being tracked or stalked has a far greater psychological impact after the bruises heal.”
There are laws in place regulating data tracking by law enforcement, but not the general public.
Family Violence Command Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway this week conceded that perpetrators overwhelmingly do not respect intervention orders.
Stalking – a difficult offence to prosecute – and using a carriage service to harass or menace can be applied in spyware cases, but there are concerns they don’t appropriately address the crime.
Where intervention orders are in place, such offending can also be regarded as a breach.
However, Family Violence Command Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway this week conceded the state’s increasing number of breaches – one every 20 minutes – shows perpetrators overwhelming do not respect these orders.
Ms Callaway said “as far as the legislation goes, there is a perception things need to evolve with the technology”.
Victoria Police recorded 12,701 stalking, harassment and threatening behaviour offences last year.
However it’s widely accepted the problem is far greater, with only one in every five family violence victims coming forward to police.
Spyware vendors operate in Australia and overseas without safeguards.
Dr Tobin said these “cyber weapons” are complicit in the perpetration of violence against women and it was time they were subjected to robust regulation and enforcement.
“There needs to be stronger controls and regulations of companies who develop spyware for the purpose of stalking, monitoring or abuse,” she said, suggesting companies should implement a customer vetting process and restrict the sale of high-risk products.
Duress alarms can be worn by women to call for help and records the scene in dangerous situations.
Mr Ripper said spyware companies were “disgraceful and should be stopped”.
“No one should be expressly selling something to aid in abuse or family violence,” he said.
Stephen Wilson, of Protective Group, has helped protect an estimated 30, triple-0 women over the course of his career.
He’s removed thousands of hidden cameras and listening and tracking devices from their homes, cars, children’s toys and bedrooms.
Recently he helped a woman receiving disturbing pictures from her ex of herself asleep in bed.
“I see you’re still wearing the pyjamas I got you for our anniversary,” the man said.
Mr Wilson said the man was coming through the roof so he secured the manhole.
“She said to me, when I was with him, he was too scared to get a parking ticket but not now that I’m not his possession anymore. He doesn’t care how many times he’s done for breaching his IVO.”
Mr Wilson often loses sleep wondering how to solve the issue killing one woman every four days in Australia, and seriously injuring tens of thousands more.
He doesn’t know the answer but says “until we can solve this, we need to do what we can to keep people safe”.
The call comes amid demands for stronger controls to be imposed on “disgraceful” spyware vendors which sell the dangerous surveillance technology to jealous and controlling men, promising to uncover the “truth” about their target for as little as $20 a month.
Security specialists who sweep the devices of women who fear they are being stalked say there’s been an explosion in the use of stalkerware by family violence perpetrators, particularly in the past six months.
These “cyber weapons” enable offenders to secretly track their victim’s every move – and are sold without oversight or restriction.
“Read their social media chats, review their texts (including deleted messages), see where they’ve been, find out who they’ve called, see what they’ve searched for (and) do it all without being detected,” one spyware website promotes.
Family violence specialists are demanding tech-enabled abusive behaviours be criminalised. Picture: Jason Edwards
Family violence specialists are demanding tech-enabled abusive behaviours be criminalised. Another company promises to “take complete control of the device, letting you know everything, no matter where you are”.
In one case this week, a Victorian woman sought help after receiving messages from her ex-partner saying he knew intimate details about her life, including what she was wearing and where she was going.
Her phone was found to be contaminated with spyware capable of remotely accessing her camera.
Tristan Wilson of Protective Group, which removes tracking devices and spyware from victims’ homes, cars and possessions, said women are often wrongly labelled as crazy when they share suspicious they are being stalked.
He says most women's’ gut feelings are correct, with stalkerware now detected by his company on a weekly basis, notably in cases where the victim and perpetrator are involved in joint court proceedings.
“When women say someone is listening to my calls, seeing my messages and knows my every move and is reiterating that back to me – some think that’s government level CIA stuff, but it’s not. It’s technology available for $20 online,” Mr Wilson said.
“A lot of victims aren’t believed and it’s put down to mental health or them going crazy.
Victorian women are increasingly being tracked through covert stalkerware, some of which allow remote access to mobile phone content.
“When we find spyware on their devices, they break down. In a way it’s awfully confronting but equally (it reinforces) a belief within themselves that they weren’t making it up or being paranoid – this was happening to them.
“It happens a lot before matters go to family court where the perpetrator hacks into the phone calendar to know what the next steps are with lawyers.”
In Victoria, there is no specific offence to punish this growing form of abuse; a known indicator of future physical or lethal violence.
Dr Chelsea Tobin, CEO of Safe Steps 24/7 Family Violence Response Centre, is among those in the family violence sector calling for immediate action to protect lives.
“This is a significant gap that must be addressed. The current laws are limited and leave victims quite vulnerable,” Dr Tobin said.
“We call for laws to be strengthened to specifically criminalise tech-enabled abusive behaviours through the establishment of clear legal prohibitions and penalties to deter perpetrators.”
Phillip Ripper, CEO of No to Violence, the peak body working with men who use violence, agreed that laws hadn’t kept pace with the modern reality of what women are experiencing.
“Spyware is definitely on the rise. It’s far more ubiquitous, readily accessible and easy to install,” Mr Ripper said.
He said many men don’t see tracking their ex or current partner’s phone as abuse.
“Men can be quite good at justifying their own behaviour to themselves. A lot of men write it off as not being a form of family violence. But for victims the torment of being tracked or stalked has a far greater psychological impact after the bruises heal.”
There are laws in place regulating data tracking by law enforcement, but not the general public.
Family Violence Command Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway this week conceded that perpetrators overwhelmingly do not respect intervention orders.
Stalking – a difficult offence to prosecute – and using a carriage service to harass or menace can be applied in spyware cases, but there are concerns they don’t appropriately address the crime.
Where intervention orders are in place, such offending can also be regarded as a breach.
However, Family Violence Command Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway this week conceded the state’s increasing number of breaches – one every 20 minutes – shows perpetrators overwhelming do not respect these orders.
Ms Callaway said “as far as the legislation goes, there is a perception things need to evolve with the technology”.
Victoria Police recorded 12,701 stalking, harassment and threatening behaviour offences last year.
However it’s widely accepted the problem is far greater, with only one in every five family violence victims coming forward to police.
Spyware vendors operate in Australia and overseas without safeguards.
Dr Tobin said these “cyber weapons” are complicit in the perpetration of violence against women and it was time they were subjected to robust regulation and enforcement.
“There needs to be stronger controls and regulations of companies who develop spyware for the purpose of stalking, monitoring or abuse,” she said, suggesting companies should implement a customer vetting process and restrict the sale of high-risk products.
Duress alarms can be worn by women to call for help and records the scene in dangerous situations.
Mr Ripper said spyware companies were “disgraceful and should be stopped”.
“No one should be expressly selling something to aid in abuse or family violence,” he said.
Stephen Wilson, of Protective Group, has helped protect an estimated 30, triple-0 women over the course of his career.
He’s removed thousands of hidden cameras and listening and tracking devices from their homes, cars, children’s toys and bedrooms.
Recently he helped a woman receiving disturbing pictures from her ex of herself asleep in bed.
“I see you’re still wearing the pyjamas I got you for our anniversary,” the man said.
Mr Wilson said the man was coming through the roof so he secured the manhole.
“She said to me, when I was with him, he was too scared to get a parking ticket but not now that I’m not his possession anymore. He doesn’t care how many times he’s done for breaching his IVO.”
Mr Wilson often loses sleep wondering how to solve the issue killing one woman every four days in Australia, and seriously injuring tens of thousands more.
He doesn’t know the answer but says “until we can solve this, we need to do what we can to keep people safe”.


Disturbing ways technology is used to control and track domestic violence victims
The disturbing ways domestic violence offenders are using technology to control and harass their victims have been revealed.
The problem is so widespread that victim support services are flying interstate experts into WA to uncover and remove hidden cameras and GPS tracking devices in homes and cars.
The problem is so widespread that victim support services are flying interstate experts into WA to uncover and remove hidden cameras and GPS tracking devices in homes and cars.


The red flags of coercive control
Coercive control is almost always the underpinning dynamic of domestic and family violence, and now, new Queensland laws are acknowledging just how dangerous and harmful it is.
Involving a pattern of abusive behaviours used against another person to exert power and dominance, coercive control overwhelmingly affects women, and precedes many domestic and family violence homicides in Australia, even in relationships with no recorded history of physical violence.
High-profile cases, such as the 2020 murder of Queenslander Hannah Clarke, and her three children, have brought this often unseen abuse onto the public agenda, and from next year, Queensland will join NSW and Tasmania in making coercive control a standalone criminal offence, with legislation colloquially known as ‘Hannah’s Law.’
Recent research reveals there’s still a significant way to go in building a broader level of awareness around the risk-factors, with an Australian National University (ANU) study last year finding 45 per cent of people either hadn’t heard the term coercive control, or didn’t know what it meant.
The behaviour of Hannah Clarke’s husband has been described as a textbook example of coercive control. The inquest following the firebomb murder-suicide that killed Ms Clarke and her children revealed that he would control what she wore, sought to drive a wedge between Ms Clarke and her family, criticised her, would lash out if she refused to have sex with him and had listening devices in her car and home.
Isolation, humiliation, gaslighting and surveillance are common features of coercive control, albeit with different characteristics, explained domestic violence educator and author Jess Hill: “Every relationship looks different, coercive control is bespoke, it amends to what will be most impactful in a particular relationship.”
According to Ms Hill, experiences across multiple cultural backgrounds tend to fit into the same basic architecture. “Victim-survivors will say things like, “it started off great, he seemed like an ideal man”,” Ms Hill said. “Then, slowly, he starts making accusations, becomes suspicious. It degrades from there to “he’s threatening me,” sometimes there’s also physical and sexual violence.”
Ms Hill’s book on control and domestic abuse, See What You Made Me Do, came out just months before Ms Clarke’s murder, and she said the case was a turning-point in understanding coercive control.
“We’ve spent so long focusing on the physical side of domestic and family violence, that the lived reality of coercive control victim-survivors is often invisible,” she said. “The murder of Hannah and her kids was such a breakthrough moment because there wasn’t a history of physical violence. People realised that coercive control can be so serious, it can lead to this kind of familicide.”
Ending a relationship does not necessarily mean an end to the abuse, or its associated dangers. Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that violence often begins, continues or increases when women separate from an abusive partner, with one in 13 experiencing violence for the first time, and one in seven experiencing an increase in violence.
In the case of Hannah Clarke, her husband’s behaviour spiralled after she left him. During that period, he drove off with their daughter for three days, telling Ms Clarke “you have caused all of this, it’s your fault,” accused her of having an affair, and made various threats and demands, with her murder occurring 11 weeks later.
Technology has added a new dimension to the way people using violence are able to monitor and control their current or ex partners, or other victim-survivors. Former police officer-turned domestic violence victim-survivor advocate, Stephen Wilson, highlighted the increasing prevalence of hidden cameras, trackers and spyware in coercive control situations. CEO of Protective Group, his company helps find and remove surveillance technologies used in domestic and family violence. “On a daily basis we’ll find a tracker in a car, spyware on phones, parental software used for unlawful means and hidden cameras in homes, bedrooms and cars,” he said.
A study by Women’s Services Network and Curtin University illustrated the enormity of the issue, showing an almost 250 per cent spike in reports of domestic and family violence perpetrators using GPS tracking in the five years to 2020, and an increase of more than 180 per cent in the use of video cameras to monitor victim-survivors.
“It’s something that causes great anxiety,” Mr Wilson said. “He might log into her rewards cards to see when she goes to the supermarket and turn up at the same time, or read her emails to see she has tickets to a football match and book the seats next to her. Women I’ve spoken to have said ‘I’d rather have a black eye than the torture he puts me through with this emotional abuse’.”
Involving a pattern of abusive behaviours used against another person to exert power and dominance, coercive control overwhelmingly affects women, and precedes many domestic and family violence homicides in Australia, even in relationships with no recorded history of physical violence.
High-profile cases, such as the 2020 murder of Queenslander Hannah Clarke, and her three children, have brought this often unseen abuse onto the public agenda, and from next year, Queensland will join NSW and Tasmania in making coercive control a standalone criminal offence, with legislation colloquially known as ‘Hannah’s Law.’
Recent research reveals there’s still a significant way to go in building a broader level of awareness around the risk-factors, with an Australian National University (ANU) study last year finding 45 per cent of people either hadn’t heard the term coercive control, or didn’t know what it meant.
The behaviour of Hannah Clarke’s husband has been described as a textbook example of coercive control. The inquest following the firebomb murder-suicide that killed Ms Clarke and her children revealed that he would control what she wore, sought to drive a wedge between Ms Clarke and her family, criticised her, would lash out if she refused to have sex with him and had listening devices in her car and home.
Isolation, humiliation, gaslighting and surveillance are common features of coercive control, albeit with different characteristics, explained domestic violence educator and author Jess Hill: “Every relationship looks different, coercive control is bespoke, it amends to what will be most impactful in a particular relationship.”
According to Ms Hill, experiences across multiple cultural backgrounds tend to fit into the same basic architecture. “Victim-survivors will say things like, “it started off great, he seemed like an ideal man”,” Ms Hill said. “Then, slowly, he starts making accusations, becomes suspicious. It degrades from there to “he’s threatening me,” sometimes there’s also physical and sexual violence.”
Ms Hill’s book on control and domestic abuse, See What You Made Me Do, came out just months before Ms Clarke’s murder, and she said the case was a turning-point in understanding coercive control.
“We’ve spent so long focusing on the physical side of domestic and family violence, that the lived reality of coercive control victim-survivors is often invisible,” she said. “The murder of Hannah and her kids was such a breakthrough moment because there wasn’t a history of physical violence. People realised that coercive control can be so serious, it can lead to this kind of familicide.”
Ending a relationship does not necessarily mean an end to the abuse, or its associated dangers. Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that violence often begins, continues or increases when women separate from an abusive partner, with one in 13 experiencing violence for the first time, and one in seven experiencing an increase in violence.
In the case of Hannah Clarke, her husband’s behaviour spiralled after she left him. During that period, he drove off with their daughter for three days, telling Ms Clarke “you have caused all of this, it’s your fault,” accused her of having an affair, and made various threats and demands, with her murder occurring 11 weeks later.
Technology has added a new dimension to the way people using violence are able to monitor and control their current or ex partners, or other victim-survivors. Former police officer-turned domestic violence victim-survivor advocate, Stephen Wilson, highlighted the increasing prevalence of hidden cameras, trackers and spyware in coercive control situations. CEO of Protective Group, his company helps find and remove surveillance technologies used in domestic and family violence. “On a daily basis we’ll find a tracker in a car, spyware on phones, parental software used for unlawful means and hidden cameras in homes, bedrooms and cars,” he said.
A study by Women’s Services Network and Curtin University illustrated the enormity of the issue, showing an almost 250 per cent spike in reports of domestic and family violence perpetrators using GPS tracking in the five years to 2020, and an increase of more than 180 per cent in the use of video cameras to monitor victim-survivors.
“It’s something that causes great anxiety,” Mr Wilson said. “He might log into her rewards cards to see when she goes to the supermarket and turn up at the same time, or read her emails to see she has tickets to a football match and book the seats next to her. Women I’ve spoken to have said ‘I’d rather have a black eye than the torture he puts me through with this emotional abuse’.”


‘I’m watching you bitch’: How even the smart fridge is being used as a weapon of family violence
In one day’s work last week, former detective Steve Wilson and his team removed four spy pens, one Apple AirTag tracker, and virtual access by an abusive man to a woman’s kitchen, to which he was sending threatening messages on her smart-fridge screen.
The tracker and camera pens – enabling the abuser to record video to a tiny USB stick – had all been placed on one woman trying to escape family violence, but that is by no means a record.
“One woman had eight AirTags on her car, all numbered and categorised, and spyware on her phone,” said Wilson, whose company, Protective Group, sweeps the homes, cars and possessions of women leaving family violence crisis accommodation.
“Another lady’s home had approximately 12 hidden cameras.”
Two days after Wilson’s son, Tristan, removed access to the Samsung Smart Fridge of a woman whose abuser was using the app to write things to her like “I’m watching you, bitch, I can see what you’re doing” on its notepad feature, the younger Wilson experienced first-hand how closely monitored some victim-survivors are.
The tough measures on the table to stop men killing women
On Friday, as he was removing the spyware which enabled the abuser to see and hear what the woman did on her phone at home in regional Victoria, it dawned on Tristan the man would most likely be aware his access was being cut, and might come around to confront her. Which he did.
“You can open the camera and microphone remotely [with spyware] and he’d seen me working on the phone,” Tristan said. The man lives about 30 minutes away in a different country town.
“Thirty minutes later, he arrived in an aggressive manner,” Tristan said.
Was he intimidated? “No, they’re usually OK with us; it’s the woman they want to get,” he said.
He activated the duress alarm he has on his watch, and police arrived quickly and served the man with an intervention order that had been issued by a magistrate on Tuesday but not yet served because police had been unable to find him.
This is not an unusual scenario. About once a month, Tristan has a perpetrator of family violence who has been stalking or monitoring a woman turn up as he disconnects their feed into the homes of the woman they want to control and keep living in fear.
“There seems to be a lot more [of these events] recently,” he said. “Because there are a lot more Wi-Fi camera systems, and doorbells that are compromised. [The perpetrator] will often see us within five or 10 minutes.”
One recent client of crisis support agency Safe Steps, whose car had been cleared of multiple surveillance devices, was escorted by police and Safe Steps to her home to collect belongings. The following day, when she left a radiology appointment, her perpetrator was there; he had put three new devices into her car while the group was inside the house.
In 12 years’ working to help keep women physically and psychologically safe from men who stalk, follow and monitor them – which research suggests is a very strong indication they are likely to escalate to use of potentially lethal violence – Steve Wilson has worked with somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 women.
Victorian woman Celeste Manno was stabbed to death in her bedroom by a man who had stalked her intensively after meeting her at work. Luay Sako was sentenced to 36 years’ jail on February 29.
As the nation protests against the fact one woman is being killed just over every four days in 2024 – often by a man who is a partner or ex – Wilson is as frustrated as many working in the women’s safety sector that strategies and policies in place are not keeping more women safe.
“I’ve seen 12 people this week, women with stitches all over their heads,” he said.
Wilson is, however, encouraged by signals that stronger responses to the breaking of intervention orders may be on the table as the Victorian government’s newly announced taskforce on violence against women starts discussions, but he feels more practical measures are required.
Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway spoke to media about proposals to register and track high-risk family violence perpetrators.
Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway, the head of Victoria Police’s Family Violence Command, said this week that the organisation’s 2015 proposal to Victoria’s family violence royal commission that a register of offenders be created to give women the “right to ask” if men posed a threat to them should be back on the table.
She pointed out that in 2023, for the first time, more homicides of women were perpetrated by ex-partners than current partners.
The number of charges for contravening family violence intervention orders has also been steadily climbing year on year. In the 2020-21 financial year, 7493 people were charged and brought before a magistrates’ court. In 2021-22, 10,601 were charged, and in the past financial year, that figure was 11,917. Perpetrators were overwhelmingly male and most walked away with a fine.
Wilson agrees safety strategies should be turned towards keeping men who would seriously harm women away from their intended victims.
Molly Ticehurst’s alleged murderer, Daniel Billings, was released on bail just weeks ago, after being accused of sexually assaulting her.
A woman is being violently killed in Australia every four days this year
“We’ve got to shift the focus; a lot of people over the last few years have hung their hats on plans and symposiums, but we need stronger bail laws and stronger intervention orders, and more police training around stalking – which is the big red flag,” Wilson said.
“The focus [of the national family violence discussion] has shifted from physical violence to coercive control, but we need to just keep people safe in their homes and when they’re not at home; all those practical solutions to remove the perpetrator’s ability to commit the abuse.”
His group does “50 to 60 jobs a week just in Melbourne where we’re going out and removing trackers”.
The cheap devices and software intended for benign means like ensuring kids are safe have been weaponised by family violence stalkers, who have been known to place them in soft toys, glassware, down the sleeves of puffer jackets or in the heels of shoes, says Dr Chelsea Tobin, chief executive of the 24/7 crisis service Safe Steps.
“Spy companies are becoming a lot more sinister and packing more tech into smaller everyday items,” she said. “We are seeing an explosion in the use of hidden cameras behind black glass in USB charging ports, battery packs, glassware, digital clocks.”
Victorian government considers new laws to tackle domestic violence
The Victorian government has said it is considering bringing in new laws to tackle domestic violence.
Tech use by family violence perpetrators was “the major frontier” in the fight against violence, Tobin said. Because it was changing so quickly, “responses need to engage corporates, banks, telcos to ensure they aren’t inadvertently facilitating abuse”.
“AI will change the landscape further very quickly,” she said.
Tobin said there needed to be more consultation and co-operation between the domestic violence sector and the telecommunications industry, so women were able to more safely and easily use new mobile technologies.
“Developers of smartphone technologies, such as Apple and Google, need to ensure that there are easier and clearer ways to minimise the possibilities of being stalked and tracked with their products,” she said.
The tracker and camera pens – enabling the abuser to record video to a tiny USB stick – had all been placed on one woman trying to escape family violence, but that is by no means a record.
“One woman had eight AirTags on her car, all numbered and categorised, and spyware on her phone,” said Wilson, whose company, Protective Group, sweeps the homes, cars and possessions of women leaving family violence crisis accommodation.
“Another lady’s home had approximately 12 hidden cameras.”
Two days after Wilson’s son, Tristan, removed access to the Samsung Smart Fridge of a woman whose abuser was using the app to write things to her like “I’m watching you, bitch, I can see what you’re doing” on its notepad feature, the younger Wilson experienced first-hand how closely monitored some victim-survivors are.
The tough measures on the table to stop men killing women
On Friday, as he was removing the spyware which enabled the abuser to see and hear what the woman did on her phone at home in regional Victoria, it dawned on Tristan the man would most likely be aware his access was being cut, and might come around to confront her. Which he did.
“You can open the camera and microphone remotely [with spyware] and he’d seen me working on the phone,” Tristan said. The man lives about 30 minutes away in a different country town.
“Thirty minutes later, he arrived in an aggressive manner,” Tristan said.
Was he intimidated? “No, they’re usually OK with us; it’s the woman they want to get,” he said.
He activated the duress alarm he has on his watch, and police arrived quickly and served the man with an intervention order that had been issued by a magistrate on Tuesday but not yet served because police had been unable to find him.
This is not an unusual scenario. About once a month, Tristan has a perpetrator of family violence who has been stalking or monitoring a woman turn up as he disconnects their feed into the homes of the woman they want to control and keep living in fear.
“There seems to be a lot more [of these events] recently,” he said. “Because there are a lot more Wi-Fi camera systems, and doorbells that are compromised. [The perpetrator] will often see us within five or 10 minutes.”
One recent client of crisis support agency Safe Steps, whose car had been cleared of multiple surveillance devices, was escorted by police and Safe Steps to her home to collect belongings. The following day, when she left a radiology appointment, her perpetrator was there; he had put three new devices into her car while the group was inside the house.
In 12 years’ working to help keep women physically and psychologically safe from men who stalk, follow and monitor them – which research suggests is a very strong indication they are likely to escalate to use of potentially lethal violence – Steve Wilson has worked with somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 women.
Victorian woman Celeste Manno was stabbed to death in her bedroom by a man who had stalked her intensively after meeting her at work. Luay Sako was sentenced to 36 years’ jail on February 29.
As the nation protests against the fact one woman is being killed just over every four days in 2024 – often by a man who is a partner or ex – Wilson is as frustrated as many working in the women’s safety sector that strategies and policies in place are not keeping more women safe.
“I’ve seen 12 people this week, women with stitches all over their heads,” he said.
Wilson is, however, encouraged by signals that stronger responses to the breaking of intervention orders may be on the table as the Victorian government’s newly announced taskforce on violence against women starts discussions, but he feels more practical measures are required.
Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway spoke to media about proposals to register and track high-risk family violence perpetrators.
Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway, the head of Victoria Police’s Family Violence Command, said this week that the organisation’s 2015 proposal to Victoria’s family violence royal commission that a register of offenders be created to give women the “right to ask” if men posed a threat to them should be back on the table.
She pointed out that in 2023, for the first time, more homicides of women were perpetrated by ex-partners than current partners.
The number of charges for contravening family violence intervention orders has also been steadily climbing year on year. In the 2020-21 financial year, 7493 people were charged and brought before a magistrates’ court. In 2021-22, 10,601 were charged, and in the past financial year, that figure was 11,917. Perpetrators were overwhelmingly male and most walked away with a fine.
Wilson agrees safety strategies should be turned towards keeping men who would seriously harm women away from their intended victims.
Molly Ticehurst’s alleged murderer, Daniel Billings, was released on bail just weeks ago, after being accused of sexually assaulting her.
A woman is being violently killed in Australia every four days this year
“We’ve got to shift the focus; a lot of people over the last few years have hung their hats on plans and symposiums, but we need stronger bail laws and stronger intervention orders, and more police training around stalking – which is the big red flag,” Wilson said.
“The focus [of the national family violence discussion] has shifted from physical violence to coercive control, but we need to just keep people safe in their homes and when they’re not at home; all those practical solutions to remove the perpetrator’s ability to commit the abuse.”
His group does “50 to 60 jobs a week just in Melbourne where we’re going out and removing trackers”.
The cheap devices and software intended for benign means like ensuring kids are safe have been weaponised by family violence stalkers, who have been known to place them in soft toys, glassware, down the sleeves of puffer jackets or in the heels of shoes, says Dr Chelsea Tobin, chief executive of the 24/7 crisis service Safe Steps.
“Spy companies are becoming a lot more sinister and packing more tech into smaller everyday items,” she said. “We are seeing an explosion in the use of hidden cameras behind black glass in USB charging ports, battery packs, glassware, digital clocks.”
Victorian government considers new laws to tackle domestic violence
The Victorian government has said it is considering bringing in new laws to tackle domestic violence.
Tech use by family violence perpetrators was “the major frontier” in the fight against violence, Tobin said. Because it was changing so quickly, “responses need to engage corporates, banks, telcos to ensure they aren’t inadvertently facilitating abuse”.
“AI will change the landscape further very quickly,” she said.
Tobin said there needed to be more consultation and co-operation between the domestic violence sector and the telecommunications industry, so women were able to more safely and easily use new mobile technologies.
“Developers of smartphone technologies, such as Apple and Google, need to ensure that there are easier and clearer ways to minimise the possibilities of being stalked and tracked with their products,” she said.


Aussies Helping Women Rid Their Homes of Tracking Devices
Across Australia, spyware experts are debugging the homes of victims of abusive partners who go to extreme lengths to track their every move.
Georgie Tunny met them to find out how they do it.
Georgie Tunny met them to find out how they do it.


The dark side of AirTags
Last night Protective Group talked to Channel 9 News about the Apple AirTag and how an innocent device can be turned sinister.
Tracking tiles have been readily available for years- a small device that works very similar to Apple’s well known “Track my iPhone” program.
The AirTag by Apple sends out a Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the ‘Find My network’ ( Apple ). These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the ‘Find My app’ and see it on a map. It’s a small device designed to help you keep track of your phone, wallets and even your pets.
Such tiles/tags present a significant risk as perpetrators, disgruntled work colleagues, anyone with ill-intentions can place one of these in a victim’s car or belongings ( hand bag ) and it doesn’t require the perpetrator to be in proximity to locate the tag. Any Apple device will update its location.
Even if an unknown victim has an Android device which the location won’t update, someone else’s iPhone can transmit the location – Particular concerning if the victim has this device when going into a refuge or a safe location and a welfare or refuge worker unknown to them transmits this information back to the Perpetrator.
Another concern is the ability to conceal these devices as they are magnetic- A perpetrator could easily attach these to a petrol cap and underneath a car with ease.
The AirTags use the Ultraband frequencies to perform a handshake with Apple devices (Ultraband includes Bluetooth LTE),
They have a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip installed and when tapped on the top of a phone identify the serial number and how to disable it.
Technology Abuse is prevalent in Domestic and Family Violence- 99.3% of family violence workers have clients who had experienced technology facilitated stalking and abuse.*
Protective Group have seen a significant rise in Technology Abuse particularly in the last two years during COVID-19. With more people at home, working and spending time online it’s become the weapon of choice of perpetrators. We see each day the way the perpetrator controls their victim and the psychological and emotional effect it has on the victim, the victim questions themselves every minute of the day “ am I being watched, are they looking at me”.
The violence isn’t always physical but the intent is always the same- control their victim and their movements.
We thank Channel 9 News and Meg Sydes for allowing us to share our thoughts.
Tracking tiles have been readily available for years- a small device that works very similar to Apple’s well known “Track my iPhone” program.
The AirTag by Apple sends out a Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the ‘Find My network’ ( Apple ). These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the ‘Find My app’ and see it on a map. It’s a small device designed to help you keep track of your phone, wallets and even your pets.
Such tiles/tags present a significant risk as perpetrators, disgruntled work colleagues, anyone with ill-intentions can place one of these in a victim’s car or belongings ( hand bag ) and it doesn’t require the perpetrator to be in proximity to locate the tag. Any Apple device will update its location.
Even if an unknown victim has an Android device which the location won’t update, someone else’s iPhone can transmit the location – Particular concerning if the victim has this device when going into a refuge or a safe location and a welfare or refuge worker unknown to them transmits this information back to the Perpetrator.
Another concern is the ability to conceal these devices as they are magnetic- A perpetrator could easily attach these to a petrol cap and underneath a car with ease.
The AirTags use the Ultraband frequencies to perform a handshake with Apple devices (Ultraband includes Bluetooth LTE),
They have a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip installed and when tapped on the top of a phone identify the serial number and how to disable it.
Technology Abuse is prevalent in Domestic and Family Violence- 99.3% of family violence workers have clients who had experienced technology facilitated stalking and abuse.*
Protective Group have seen a significant rise in Technology Abuse particularly in the last two years during COVID-19. With more people at home, working and spending time online it’s become the weapon of choice of perpetrators. We see each day the way the perpetrator controls their victim and the psychological and emotional effect it has on the victim, the victim questions themselves every minute of the day “ am I being watched, are they looking at me”.
The violence isn’t always physical but the intent is always the same- control their victim and their movements.
We thank Channel 9 News and Meg Sydes for allowing us to share our thoughts.


They're tracking you and they know your every move
Now imagine this, you're out and about shopping and running errands and everywhere you go you just happen to bump into your ex -partner. Just a coincidence but there they are again and again. Now imagine that person's an ex -partner for a good reason, they're controlling or maybe they could or would have been violent and then the penny drops. They're tracking you and they know your every move. Sounds like something out of a spy movie doesn't it? But But for a lot of victims of domestic violence, technology -facilitated abuse, it's actually got a name, TFA, is a harsh reality. Steve Wilson is a former detective, he's the founder of the Protective Group, and for the past 12 years he's been working to help keep women and sufferers of domestic violence physically and psychologically safe from those stalking, following and monitoring them...


Domestic Violence warning over Apple AirTags
Apple's new AirTag is incredibly cool, and if anything, works too well.
With this large-button-sized gadget, losing your keys, travel bags, or your car in a shopping centre, might actually be a thing of the past.
Some Apple users have even attached it to their cats and dogs.
All you need to do is connect it with your phone, and it will literally point you in the right direction of whatever item you're tracking - just like a kids game of hot and cold.
"Every Apple device will be constantly searching for Bluetooth signals and these little AirTags are emitting a Bluetooth signal so it's constantly updating its location based on any device around it," technology expert Trevor Long said.
"The people walking past don't even know they're part of the search party, but you've found your keys."
If social media is any indication, the device is going to be very popular, and that's where the concern comes in.
Critics said the size and cost of the AirTag (just $45) opens the door for some users to do the wrong thing.
Domestic Violence New South Wales said in 85 per cent of cases of abuse, devices are used to stalk or track.
"We know that one in six women can confirm that they've been stalked by technology," CEO Delia Donovan said.
"This is now another weapon for perpetrators."
There are laws in all states of Australia which prevent stalking and tracking people, and also protections like Apprehended Violence Orders.
Delia Donovan is the CEO of Domestic Violence NSW. (A Current Affair)
But the Protective Group said it comes across a case everyday where the victim is unaware they are being "monitored", and in most scenarios, the stalker already knows the location of their home and work.
Apple has built a number of security features into the device like alerting someone that a tag is near them.
A Current Affair tested the AirTag and found it took over two days to get an alert.
Stephen Wilson is the CEO of Protective Group, which works with domestic violence victims. (A Current Affair)
The owner of the tag knew the A Current Affair reporters home and work locations and was able to watch as the reporter had lunch, went to the supermarket, gym and the pub – travelling a distance of 25km.
While trackers have always been an issue when it comes to domestic violence the profile of other devices has been relatively low when compared to the high profile of Apple.
Now that Apple has entered the market, some fear it's a game changer because the AirTag is not only easy to use but is also easy to get.
A Current Affair tested the AirTag. (A Current Affair)
Apple told A Current Affair in a statement: "we take customer safety very seriously … AirTag is designed with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking— a first in the industry".
Having the latest software and an Apple phone as opposed to an Andrioid, can make a big difference, but that is cold comfort for anyone who is on the other end of an AirTag.
If an AirTag user believes there is someone using their AirTag who doesn't have their authorisation the AirTag can be disbabled.
Users can tap it on their Iphone or other compatible devices and instructions will direct users to disable the AirTag from there.
Statement by an Apple spokesperson:
"We take customer safety very seriously and are committed to AirTag's privacy and security. AirTag is designed with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking— a first in the industry— and the Find My network includes a smart, tunable system with deterrents that applies to AirTag, as well as third-party products part of the Find My network accessory program. We are raising the bar on privacy for our users and the industry, and hope others will follow."
Statement by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant:
"We know that technology-facilitated abuse is prevalent in nearly all domestic violence cases. While it may not leave physical marks, technology-facilitated abuse can be extensive and cause enduring harm. It may also serve as a red flag for future catastrophic physical violence.
"Women need to be aware of the risk of any device that has tracking abilities. Tracking devices can be small and easily hidden, and reveal a lot about daily patterns, such as where someone exercises or when they leave the house.
"Privacy protections need to be balanced with user safety considerations, particularly if that technology can be weaponised. This is why eSafety has been working with the technology industry for the past three years on our Safety by Design initiative. This would require a company like Apple to assess a range of potential risks upfront and build in safety protections to engineer out misuse.
"We know that domestic abuse perpetrators will exploit any available technology. AirTags use the Find My Phone feature - which is a common method of tracking used by perpetrators.
"While Apple have taken steps to build-in safety features into the design of the AirTags, no device that involves a Find My Phone feature should be considered absolutely safe as determined perpetrators may find creative ways to misuse to engage in coercive control.
"The most important piece of advice - particularly if someone is concerned about their safety - is to disable location services on all their devices (phones, computers etc) and be wary of any tracking items hidden in objects.
Statement by the Attorney General, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, and Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Mark Speakman:
Stalking, including by using a digital device, is a reprehensible practice designed to instil fear in and control its victims. NSW has strong laws in place to hold the perpetrators of such crimes to account. Under the Surveillance Devices Act, a person convicted of using a tracking device to monitor a person's movements without their consent can be imprisoned for up to five years or fined $11,000 or both.
With this large-button-sized gadget, losing your keys, travel bags, or your car in a shopping centre, might actually be a thing of the past.
Some Apple users have even attached it to their cats and dogs.
All you need to do is connect it with your phone, and it will literally point you in the right direction of whatever item you're tracking - just like a kids game of hot and cold.
"Every Apple device will be constantly searching for Bluetooth signals and these little AirTags are emitting a Bluetooth signal so it's constantly updating its location based on any device around it," technology expert Trevor Long said.
"The people walking past don't even know they're part of the search party, but you've found your keys."
If social media is any indication, the device is going to be very popular, and that's where the concern comes in.
Critics said the size and cost of the AirTag (just $45) opens the door for some users to do the wrong thing.
Domestic Violence New South Wales said in 85 per cent of cases of abuse, devices are used to stalk or track.
"We know that one in six women can confirm that they've been stalked by technology," CEO Delia Donovan said.
"This is now another weapon for perpetrators."
There are laws in all states of Australia which prevent stalking and tracking people, and also protections like Apprehended Violence Orders.
Delia Donovan is the CEO of Domestic Violence NSW. (A Current Affair)
But the Protective Group said it comes across a case everyday where the victim is unaware they are being "monitored", and in most scenarios, the stalker already knows the location of their home and work.
Apple has built a number of security features into the device like alerting someone that a tag is near them.
A Current Affair tested the AirTag and found it took over two days to get an alert.
Stephen Wilson is the CEO of Protective Group, which works with domestic violence victims. (A Current Affair)
The owner of the tag knew the A Current Affair reporters home and work locations and was able to watch as the reporter had lunch, went to the supermarket, gym and the pub – travelling a distance of 25km.
While trackers have always been an issue when it comes to domestic violence the profile of other devices has been relatively low when compared to the high profile of Apple.
Now that Apple has entered the market, some fear it's a game changer because the AirTag is not only easy to use but is also easy to get.
A Current Affair tested the AirTag. (A Current Affair)
Apple told A Current Affair in a statement: "we take customer safety very seriously … AirTag is designed with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking— a first in the industry".
Having the latest software and an Apple phone as opposed to an Andrioid, can make a big difference, but that is cold comfort for anyone who is on the other end of an AirTag.
If an AirTag user believes there is someone using their AirTag who doesn't have their authorisation the AirTag can be disbabled.
Users can tap it on their Iphone or other compatible devices and instructions will direct users to disable the AirTag from there.
Statement by an Apple spokesperson:
"We take customer safety very seriously and are committed to AirTag's privacy and security. AirTag is designed with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking— a first in the industry— and the Find My network includes a smart, tunable system with deterrents that applies to AirTag, as well as third-party products part of the Find My network accessory program. We are raising the bar on privacy for our users and the industry, and hope others will follow."
Statement by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant:
"We know that technology-facilitated abuse is prevalent in nearly all domestic violence cases. While it may not leave physical marks, technology-facilitated abuse can be extensive and cause enduring harm. It may also serve as a red flag for future catastrophic physical violence.
"Women need to be aware of the risk of any device that has tracking abilities. Tracking devices can be small and easily hidden, and reveal a lot about daily patterns, such as where someone exercises or when they leave the house.
"Privacy protections need to be balanced with user safety considerations, particularly if that technology can be weaponised. This is why eSafety has been working with the technology industry for the past three years on our Safety by Design initiative. This would require a company like Apple to assess a range of potential risks upfront and build in safety protections to engineer out misuse.
"We know that domestic abuse perpetrators will exploit any available technology. AirTags use the Find My Phone feature - which is a common method of tracking used by perpetrators.
"While Apple have taken steps to build-in safety features into the design of the AirTags, no device that involves a Find My Phone feature should be considered absolutely safe as determined perpetrators may find creative ways to misuse to engage in coercive control.
"The most important piece of advice - particularly if someone is concerned about their safety - is to disable location services on all their devices (phones, computers etc) and be wary of any tracking items hidden in objects.
Statement by the Attorney General, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, and Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Mark Speakman:
Stalking, including by using a digital device, is a reprehensible practice designed to instil fear in and control its victims. NSW has strong laws in place to hold the perpetrators of such crimes to account. Under the Surveillance Devices Act, a person convicted of using a tracking device to monitor a person's movements without their consent can be imprisoned for up to five years or fined $11,000 or both.


What role does technology play in protecting women from violence?
Protective Group Risk Specialist Joel Svensson spoke to ABC Breakfast TV about his thoughts and experience with Technology Abuse in Domestic and Family Violence situations, and perpetrator behaviour.
At Protective Group we find the use of Technology Abuse is prevalent in nine out of ten Domestic and Family Violence cases that are referred to us.
Technology Abuse isn’t only prevalent when there is a breakdown in a personal relationship but can occur as normal abuse would, just not physical.
We see each day the perpetrator controls their victim and the physiological and emotional effect it has on the victim, the victim questions themselves every minute of the day “am I being watched, are they looking at me”.
We thank Joel for taking time and to share his experience, and ABC News Breakfast for allowing Joel to share his thoughts.
At Protective Group we find the use of Technology Abuse is prevalent in nine out of ten Domestic and Family Violence cases that are referred to us.
Technology Abuse isn’t only prevalent when there is a breakdown in a personal relationship but can occur as normal abuse would, just not physical.
We see each day the perpetrator controls their victim and the physiological and emotional effect it has on the victim, the victim questions themselves every minute of the day “am I being watched, are they looking at me”.
We thank Joel for taking time and to share his experience, and ABC News Breakfast for allowing Joel to share his thoughts.


Ever get a sneaky suspicion that you're being watched?
Ever get a sneaky suspicion that you're being watched? Whether it's in an Airbnb, on your phone or at home? Risk Management Specialist from Protective Group joins the show to give everyone the 411 on all the spyware we need to look out for...


Technology advances put EVERY Australian mobile phone, and your privacy, under threat
An Australian spyware expert has issued an urgent warning that technology advances mean every mobile phone - and their owners' privacy - is under threat.
Mr Wilson, who is so security conscious he checks for hidden cameras and listening devices when he stays in a hotel, said Australians need to become more aware of threats to digital safety, especially on their phones.
Mr Wilson, chief operating officer of the Protective Group, told Kyle and Jackie O on KIIS FM that in the past, a person needed physical access to install spyware on a mobile phone.
'But now you only need the victim's Apple ID credentials or Google Gmail log-in credentials to actually impact the device,' he said.
'Gone are the days where you need physical access to the device. It can all be done now through the cloud environment.'
An Australian spyware expert has issued an urgent warning that technology advances mean every mobile phone - and their owners' privacy - is under threat. A woman looking with concern at her phone is pictured
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Mr Wilson said his company gets 'a lot of calls' from concerned people renting Airbnbs and serviced apartments where they may be there for a couple of months.
He said spying technology can now easily be hidden in very normal household items, such as power banks used to charge phones with, which can have hidden cameras and listening devices in them.
'Quite often we find USB charging ports that have a little micro sim cards in them that are transmitting back to a person that's obviously wanting to spy on their spouse or partner.
'So, pretty devastating stuff, power boards these days are (often) Wi-Fi enabled.'
While such secret surveillance is illegal, Mr Wilson said much of it is being sold as parental control software.
'So they don't really come out and say, it's spyware (or) "we're spying on your partner, we can see their every movement and location".
'The work around is keeping an eye on your kids.'
Mr Wilson said a lot of online retailers often call such devices 'nanny cams, probably to evade the fact that they are actually spy cameras and hidden cameras'.
A small camera hidden in a household plant is pictured. Such cameras are often also hidden in air vents and air conditioning units.
Air vents and air conditioning units are the most common places used to hide spy cameras.
'They're quite inconspicuous and these days they don't even have the little led lights on them a lot of the time,' he said.
As the technology used for spying has improved, so has the technology used to find spying hardware.
'Modern phones have really good cameras so you can get some pretty good apps for your phone that can search the room for any camera lenses,' Mr Wilson said.
He said 'phones aren't great when it comes to finding GPS trackers and other wi-fi enabled type devices', but there are apps available which can held find spyware.
Even televisions can be used to spy on people, the expert said, with smart TVs integrated with online accounts that can be viewed on mobile phones to see what a person has been watching.
'So if anybody does have access to some of those accounts, there is always the possibility that those cameras can be opened remotely and that internet history accessed as well,' he said
His company always reminds people to regularly check the devices that are logged into their accounts.
One of the problems they regularly come across is when people stay in an Airbnb or hotel room and log into their YouTube premium account on the TV to watch videos.
But they often forget to log out and the next person who stays in the room has got free access to previous person's account.
Mr Wilson said there are warning signs to watch out for which indicate your phone has spyware on it, such as extra data being used, the battery draining or the phone heating up despite not being in someone's hand or in the sun.
'We've had clients before where their batteries actually got up to 85 degrees and their screens started to warp and the plastic started to melt,' he said.
'It's important for the user to follow their gut feeling as well because with this sort of software, you can open the camera remotely, you can open the microphone remotely, and it's as cheap as $15 or $20 a month.'
To counter the threats to devices, he recommended using antivirus software, but cautioned that 'They're not going to give you full 100 per cent protection.
'So it's always still worth changing your passwords regularly (and) also checking the password managers' that come with Apple and Google devices.
'With spyware, it does need to save its password and user name somewhere on the device and it tends to save it in those password managers. So it's always good just to check those,' he said.
Mr Wilson also warned about hackers and scammers using USB charging ports at airports and hotels to transmit and send malicious code to victims' phone, which can then be used to access details such as bank account log ins.
'Phone safety and security is really important ... to stop everyday scammers getting into your phone and stealing your identity, extortion (and) blackmail ...
'If we keep our phone safe, it'll also keep some of those other unwanted parties out of our devices,' he said.
If applications are appearing on your device that you have never seen before, be suspicious.
Search your phone's storage to find out if there are any apps you do not remember downloading that could be disguised as something else.
Look out for any pretending to be legitimate apps like Kaspersky Safe Kids, Norton Family, Net Nanny and Qustodio.
Does your phone need charging more often than usual?
If there are applications continuously running, your phone's battery will drain very quickly.
If you notice that your phone is running out of charge at a quicker pace than normal, check if any recently used apps are responsible.
Mr Wilson, who is so security conscious he checks for hidden cameras and listening devices when he stays in a hotel, said Australians need to become more aware of threats to digital safety, especially on their phones.
Mr Wilson, chief operating officer of the Protective Group, told Kyle and Jackie O on KIIS FM that in the past, a person needed physical access to install spyware on a mobile phone.
'But now you only need the victim's Apple ID credentials or Google Gmail log-in credentials to actually impact the device,' he said.
'Gone are the days where you need physical access to the device. It can all be done now through the cloud environment.'
An Australian spyware expert has issued an urgent warning that technology advances mean every mobile phone - and their owners' privacy - is under threat. A woman looking with concern at her phone is pictured
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Tributes to girl, 8, killed in townhouse fire, babysitter feared dead
1.5k viewing now
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2.4k viewing now
Baby killer who tortured and killed toddler son could soon be freed
912 viewing now
Mr Wilson said his company gets 'a lot of calls' from concerned people renting Airbnbs and serviced apartments where they may be there for a couple of months.
He said spying technology can now easily be hidden in very normal household items, such as power banks used to charge phones with, which can have hidden cameras and listening devices in them.
'Quite often we find USB charging ports that have a little micro sim cards in them that are transmitting back to a person that's obviously wanting to spy on their spouse or partner.
'So, pretty devastating stuff, power boards these days are (often) Wi-Fi enabled.'
While such secret surveillance is illegal, Mr Wilson said much of it is being sold as parental control software.
'So they don't really come out and say, it's spyware (or) "we're spying on your partner, we can see their every movement and location".
'The work around is keeping an eye on your kids.'
Mr Wilson said a lot of online retailers often call such devices 'nanny cams, probably to evade the fact that they are actually spy cameras and hidden cameras'.
A small camera hidden in a household plant is pictured. Such cameras are often also hidden in air vents and air conditioning units.
Air vents and air conditioning units are the most common places used to hide spy cameras.
'They're quite inconspicuous and these days they don't even have the little led lights on them a lot of the time,' he said.
As the technology used for spying has improved, so has the technology used to find spying hardware.
'Modern phones have really good cameras so you can get some pretty good apps for your phone that can search the room for any camera lenses,' Mr Wilson said.
He said 'phones aren't great when it comes to finding GPS trackers and other wi-fi enabled type devices', but there are apps available which can held find spyware.
Even televisions can be used to spy on people, the expert said, with smart TVs integrated with online accounts that can be viewed on mobile phones to see what a person has been watching.
'So if anybody does have access to some of those accounts, there is always the possibility that those cameras can be opened remotely and that internet history accessed as well,' he said
His company always reminds people to regularly check the devices that are logged into their accounts.
One of the problems they regularly come across is when people stay in an Airbnb or hotel room and log into their YouTube premium account on the TV to watch videos.
But they often forget to log out and the next person who stays in the room has got free access to previous person's account.
Mr Wilson said there are warning signs to watch out for which indicate your phone has spyware on it, such as extra data being used, the battery draining or the phone heating up despite not being in someone's hand or in the sun.
'We've had clients before where their batteries actually got up to 85 degrees and their screens started to warp and the plastic started to melt,' he said.
'It's important for the user to follow their gut feeling as well because with this sort of software, you can open the camera remotely, you can open the microphone remotely, and it's as cheap as $15 or $20 a month.'
To counter the threats to devices, he recommended using antivirus software, but cautioned that 'They're not going to give you full 100 per cent protection.
'So it's always still worth changing your passwords regularly (and) also checking the password managers' that come with Apple and Google devices.
'With spyware, it does need to save its password and user name somewhere on the device and it tends to save it in those password managers. So it's always good just to check those,' he said.
Mr Wilson also warned about hackers and scammers using USB charging ports at airports and hotels to transmit and send malicious code to victims' phone, which can then be used to access details such as bank account log ins.
'Phone safety and security is really important ... to stop everyday scammers getting into your phone and stealing your identity, extortion (and) blackmail ...
'If we keep our phone safe, it'll also keep some of those other unwanted parties out of our devices,' he said.
If applications are appearing on your device that you have never seen before, be suspicious.
Search your phone's storage to find out if there are any apps you do not remember downloading that could be disguised as something else.
Look out for any pretending to be legitimate apps like Kaspersky Safe Kids, Norton Family, Net Nanny and Qustodio.
Does your phone need charging more often than usual?
If there are applications continuously running, your phone's battery will drain very quickly.
If you notice that your phone is running out of charge at a quicker pace than normal, check if any recently used apps are responsible.


Electronic monitoring in the context of Domestic Violence
ANROWS acknowledgement
This report was produced with funding from the Queensland Department of Justice and
Attorney-General (DJAG). Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety
Limited (ANROWS) gratefully acknowledges the financial and other support it has received
from DJAG, without which this work would not have been possible.
The findings reported here are drawn from the analysis of interviews and focus groups in
light of the available literature on electronic monitoring and the literature on risks and risk
management of domestic and family violence. The analysis, and therefore the reported
research results, cannot be attributed to those who participated in the research project.
This report was produced with funding from the Queensland Department of Justice and
Attorney-General (DJAG). Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety
Limited (ANROWS) gratefully acknowledges the financial and other support it has received
from DJAG, without which this work would not have been possible.
The findings reported here are drawn from the analysis of interviews and focus groups in
light of the available literature on electronic monitoring and the literature on risks and risk
management of domestic and family violence. The analysis, and therefore the reported
research results, cannot be attributed to those who participated in the research project.


Protective Group submission to the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence
Royal Commission into Family Violence
WITNESS STATEMENT OF STEVEN SCHULTZE
I, Steven Schultze, Senior Partner of Protective Group, Melbourne, in the State of Victoria,
say as follows:
1. I make this statement on the basis of my own knowledge, save where otherwise
stated. Where I make statements based on information provided by others, I
believe such information to be true.
Current role
2. I am the Senior Partner at Protective Group and Executive Director (Operations) of
Protective Services Ply Ltd (Protective Services). Protective Services is a private
risk management and investigation company specialising in community safety and
family violence.
3. Over the past two years I have operated within the family violence sector alongside
family violence services and State and Federal Government Departments. My
duties involve dealing directly with these services and their high risk clients in areas
such as risk, safety and lethality assessments, and implementation of safety
recommendations.
4. I also consult to Government and senior members of Victoria Police in relation to
various aspects of family violence, Safe at Home strategies and specific case
management.
Background and qualifications
5. I hold Advanced Diplomas of Integrated Risk Management, Work Place Health and
Safety, and Business from Churchill Education. I hold a Diploma in Security from
Churchill Education. I hold a range of security certificates, including a Certificate IV
in Security Risk Management and in Correctional Practices.
6. In June 1985, I joined the Victoria Police as a police officer and at the completion of
my training, I was stationed at stationed at Sunshine Police Station. In 1989, I was
WIT.0079.001.0001
recruited to the Bureau of Criminal Intelligence as a Detective Constable -
Surveillance/Covert Operative. I progressed to Detective Senior Constable at the
St Kilda Criminal Investigation Branch, before being stationed at the Armed
Robbery Squad and the Homicide Squad, in turn. I am a recipient of the Police
Integrity Medal.
7. In November 2000, I resigned from the. Victoria Police as a Detective Senior
Constable within the Homicide Squad and moved into the private sector and into
the security industry in particular. I have since occupied a number of management
positions and directorships at private companies, where my responsibilities have
included the implementation and management of security compliance systems.
8. I have provided project management and consultancy services to the private
security and commercial investigation industries. I am a safety consultant and
provide an emergency response for high risk clients of the Mary Anderson Family
Violence Service, within the Salvation Army. I am also a project consultant to the
Safe Futures Foundation Victoria (Safe Futures) and to Domestic Violence Victoria
(DV Vic) in relation to establishment of the State-wide "Safety in the Home" Project.
9. I am a Director and Partner of International Student Care Consultancy Group Ply
Ltd (International Student Care), and I have provided risk and safety assessments
relating to existing and potential international students. I am also a Director and
Partner of Protective Services.
10. In March 2014, I attended and completed Advanced Domestic Violence Training
conducted by the International Family Justice Alliance in the United States of
America. This training included attainment of competency in:
10.1. Intimate Partner Homicide Investigation;
10.2. Lethality and Perpetrator Assessing;
10.3. Advanced Strangulation Investigation;
10.4. Child and Adult Sexual Abuse;
10.5. Human Trafficking;
10.6. Elder Abuse;
10.7. Cultural Impact and Diversity relating to Family Violence;
10.8. Victimology and Victim Impact relating to Family Violence; and
WIT.0079.001.0002
10.9. Stalking.
Protective Group
11. Protective Group is a private group of three companies: Safeguard Security
Solutions, International Student Care and Protective Services, that specialise in
security and safety risk management within the family violence sector and
international student sectors.
12. Attached to this statement and marked "SS-1" is a copy of Protective Group's 2015
Annual Report.
Protective Services
13. Protective Services are specialists in risk management in the family violence sector.
We work in partnership with Government, the not-for-profit sector, the Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Victoria Police to implement strategies
to keep women and children safe in their own homes.
14. We have been very successful in this field and trials resulted in a State Government
project that will see, with Protective Services' assistance, 200 high risk family
violence survivors provided with Close Circuit Television (CCTV) and SafeTCard
personal duress alarms.
15. We are currently developing new technology that looks into perpetrator tracking and
has the ability to connect to our existing personal duress devices worn by the
victims/survivors. We are determined to wrap a safety net around family violence
victims and their families, and understand that while many societal changes are
needed to put an end to this insidious issue, in the interim we must protect those
that suffer at the hands of present and former intimate partners.
16. Protective Services has also consulted to family violence services and actively
participated in training workers in areas such as conflict resolution, hostile
environment training and the use of safety devices.
17. We have conducted risk assessments and recommendations in relation to premises
including offices, refuges, transitional housing, safe housing and longer term
accommodation.
WIT.0079.001.0003
Family Violence Risk Management
18. Since the middle of 2013, Protective Services has worked closely with a number of
agencies, including the Salvation Army, Safe Futures, WISHIN Foundation and the
Uniting Church, to develop strategies to reduce the risk of violence posed to family
violence victims by their partners.
19. In a nutshell, a risk assessment is conducted on the victim, the perpetrator and the
property, and strategies are put into place to wrap the victim in a safety net.
20. We have worked with The Crossroads Family Violence Service, at the Salvation
Army, to provide 28 primary interventions and 66 secondary consultations. A
primary intervention involves active participation in risk assessment and ongoing
case management. Secondary consultations include services such as:
20.1. a review of risk assessment and any safety plan;
20.2. issuing and training the woman with the personal duress alarm, including
training in hostile environment awareness, conflict resolution, cyber
awareness and security training; and
20.3. a review of the case file and any police investigation.
21. We have similarly provided in excess of 60 primary and secondary support
consultations to women engaged with Safe Futures.
22. We have worked with and for approximately 200 victims of family violence.
23. Our focus is on the protection of people and not the protection of property. The
purpose of CCTV cameras, as well as the other technology detailed below, is
always safety first: it is about protecting people. Safety is the primary purpose,
rather than deterrence.
24. You can implement the most robust and effective safety measures on a client's
property, however this still cannot always guarantee their safety. Protecting the
individual/s at risk is what is imperative. There is a range of measures that we can
implement to improve women's safety. Some of these measures can also assist in
evidence gathering for those cases where a woman has not been able to prove
breaches of an intervention order occurring at a property because no concrete
evidence existed to utilise in a court hearing: it was only her word against his.
WIT.0079.001.0004
25. I can state that no women or women with children that we have worked with have
been physically assaulted or harmed when having implemented our unique safety
measures.
26. Intervention order (IVO) breaches involving my clients have been significantly
reduced, with only three instances of breaches being reported since the end of
2013. On these occasions, either the woman's verified personal duress alarm was
activated and police attended, or evidence was gathered by CCTV cameras and
utilised to remand the perpetrator.
Risk Assessment
27. If we are referred a client from a family violence service, we will firstly gather, by
phone or by email, as much information as possible about the woman, her children
and the perpetrator.
28. We request the family violence service provide their intake assessment, risk
assessment, details of any IVOs, past statements, and police information. We ask
that they send as much information as the client will consent to; ensuring that we
can gather information relating to the past actions of the perpetrator. We try to
understand the ways that the perpetrator is likely to behave and then create
protection mechanisms based on that understanding. It is not just a question of
how vulnerable the client may be, but also how the perpetrator operates.
29. We will meet with the client at the family violence service or, if they believe a Safe
at Home program may be available to them, we may meet at the property to
conduct a physical risk assessment. We talk with the client's worker, usually at
length, and ask imperative questions in the most sensitive way possible. We may
ask, "What have the police told you? Do we need to speak to the police on your
behalf? Is there any more that we are not being told?" We may ask the police,
"What is your assessment of the victim's risk? What can you tell me about this
man?" The questions we will ask are subject to the level of detail already obtained
from the documentation provided. Where possible, we try to minimise the number
of times women are required to re-tell or re-visit their family violence experiences,
avoiding any possible re-traumatisation or distress for the victim.
30. We will then provide a realistic appraisal of what we think the situation reflects.
WIT.0079.001.0005
31. We have worked with Safe Futures to develop a risk assessment tool, and that is
what we utilise. We also have an additional lethality assessment, which draws
upon the training from the United States, set out above.
Interaction with Victoria Police
32. The frustration, from our perspective, is that when we deal with these women, and
their support agencies, they say to us they have fallen through the cracks with the
Victoria Police. The Police cannot be expected to respond to the 67 ,OOO response
call outs that they receive. However, the reality is that women and children's violent
experiences are not being validated, being left unseen, unheard and unprotected
because of system failures, and in some cases, the failure to conduct proper
criminal investigation of family violence matters.
33. Where Police are required to attend because of a reported breach of an IVO, good
practice is to conduct a forensic examination of the scene and a proper
investigation of what occurred, and gather evidence. If they did so, not only would
they be able to charge perpetrators for being there in breach of the order, they may
find from the evidence (for example, evidence of attempted strangulation shown in
bruises or marks) that they have an attempted murder, or an unlawful
imprisonment: a serious crime may well have been committed and the perpetrator
should be charged accordingly. I have seen cases where the response from
Victoria Police has been completely inappropriate given the victim's circumstances.
In saying that, I appreciate that first responders often face considerable difficulty
with victims being reluctant to fully disclose details of the family violence incident. It
is my experience that, in these cases, the abuse has been ongoing for years and for
a number of reasons victims will minimise or be unable to fully disclose the extent of
the abuse.
34. Additional challenges are faced when police respond to incidents where women are
not only victims of family violence but also perpetrators of crime, or have a history of
crime. I have worked with clients where they have been subjected to serious abuse
by their partner and, during their relationship, the client has, for a number of
reasons, also committed a crime. For instance, I have clients who by their own
admission are or have been drug users. This however does not negate the fact that
they have been subjected to serious abuse by their intimate partner and require
extensive outreach assistance. However in some instances, it has affected the way
WIT.0079.001.0006
that they have been treated by police. It is my experience that developing rapport,
trust and keeping an open mind is the key to any investigation.
35. Where a victim alleges or the evidence suggests serious injury it should be
investigated accordingly. You cannot consent to a serious injury. However when
you have got inexperienced police officers providing the first response to family
violence, they can pigeon hole people or form an opinion/perception based on the
victim's demeanour, for instance, at the scene, or perhaps even based on their
knowledge of the women prior to attending. There are issues around how first
responders interact with victims of family violence; how victims of family violence
disclose their abuse, and then the first responders' impression.
36. Those inexperienced officers may fill in the L 17 form at the scene or they may not.
You need to have a senior member of the police at the station educating and
training officers that they are attending a crime scene. If the police do not evidence
gather right away, that evidence may be lost. For a young detective confronted with
an assault or a rape, I cannot understand why the approach would be different
depending on whether or not it occurred domestically or it happened on the street.
Information sharing
37. I have experienced occasions where family violence services and the police have
not worked together: I have witnessed an 'us and them' mentality. We try to educate
family violence workers on how to better interact with police officers. We will
provide a number of tools to assist workers, including questions for the workers to
ask police, and advice on any procedural questions the service or the client may
have. I have also had the opportunity to discuss specific case management
strategies with attending police.
38. If we could get the family violence service, DHHS, the police, medical services; all
of the relevant agencies talking together, sharing information and generally working
together, then we could put measures in place to improve women's safety much
faster. We are all working together towards the same end, however in reality for
various reasons this does not happen.
39. A lot of the work we do at Protective Services is filling the gaps between the family
violence service and the police. We will often be asked by the client, "Can you tell
us how this part of the police process works?"
WIT.0079.001.0007
Risk Management
40. After we have conducted the risk assessment, and discussed with the client and her
support worker what we consider the risk to be, and why, we will make
recommendations to improve her safety.
41. My recommendation to the service will usually commence with "further liaison with
the police is required/ ongoing risk assessment and safety planning is required". I
will discuss with the client and the service provider whether more outreach support
would be of assistance, and then we will discuss physical treatments, which may
include CCTV, shutters, and so on. We try to give the client general advice as well,
for instance, about letterbox security, and training around cyber safety. We have
electronic equipment and we can sweep for bugs, if necessary.
42. I will say to the client "by sitting here with us, you are actually in control of the
situation, you decide what goes on", and sometimes you can immediately see the
effect that has on a client, when they start to feel empowered.
43. Our recommendations in relation to risk and safety are also provided to the client in
report form. Attached to this statement and marked "SS-2" is a de-identified report
provided to a Protective Services client.
Court processes
44. I have attended the Magistrates' Court, Children's Court and Family Court with
clients and family violence workers as a part of our risk management service. My
role has included support, security of the client and to assist Counsel in relation to
particular aspects of the case. My clients have included family violence services
staff, DHHS, the victims themselves and solicitors representing the parties to the
case. I have personally observed the exposure of clients in this environment and
the terror experienced when seeing the perpetrator in these surroundings. Often
this is the first time the victim has physically seen or been in the presence of the
perpetrator since the violence.
45. On one occasion at the Family Court I watched the Respondent maintain
surveillance on the "secure entry and exit door". I was able to liaise with the police
officers in attendance and we were able to formulate a strategy to allow the client
and her small child to leave the court unseen. Other court hearings have allowed
associates of the Respondent to attend the hearing in numbers and display what I
WIT.0079.001.0008
will describe as nothing short of intimidating behaviour toward the victim. As a
general comment, there is an obvious lack of risk assessing and subsequent safety
planning for clients attending court.
Improving Safety in the Home Project
46. The Improving Safety in the Home response is an early intervention initiative
between Protective Services and Safe Futures to enhance the safety of women who
have separated from their abusive partners, yet are still at risk of further abuse.
The primary aim is to support women and their children to stay in their own homes
when safe and appropriate.
47. The key components of our Improving Safety in the Home program are set out in
the Protective Services document entitled "Capability Statement and Executive
Summary June 2015", which is attached to this statement and marked "SS-3".
48. In some instances, to make a woman feel safer, we focus on particular rooms in her
house, for instance, the bathroom. If a perpetrator was to force his way into the
house, we have a room, which looks outwardly looks normal, which he will not be
able to get into. That allows us to buy some time, during which the woman can use
her SafeTCard or mobile phone to call the police.
49. There are circumstances where the perpetrator is going to present at the property
and breach no matter what we do to improve the safety of the home - and where
the Improving Safety in the Home program is not going to be appropriate. I have
observed that this is in the minority of instances.
CCTV.
50. CCTV cameras are one strategy we deploy that can protect women in the home,
because the perpetrator knows, with that camera present, he cannot go there
without there being evidence of his presence.
51. We connect our CCTV cameras to a static internet address, rather than having
ongoing monitoring of the video. We can give the woman an application on their
phone, so that they can check the cameras before they go outside or before they
arrive home. We can also retrieve the footage for use as evidence in Family Court
and criminal proceedings, which we have done on a few occasions.
WIT.0079.001.0009
52. The other side of the coin is that our clients feel safer knowing that they have
cameras at their property. SafeTCard offers another layer of protection, as do
doors, locks and screen windows. Rather than replacing anything, or relying on one
thing in particular, these services all complement each other, and that feeling of
safety. It is as important for women to feel safe as it is to actually be safe.
SafeTCard
53. It is widely accepted that the use of a mobile phone in a situation where there is a
threat of abuse or attack is not only difficult but the movement of trying to locate the
phone can often inflame the situation.
54. The SafeTCard is disguised as an ID card holder. It provides discrete dual
verification in a dedicated purpose unit, allowing users to alert an operator, and the
operator to then assess the situation and take appropriate and proportionate action.
The operator is located at a 24/7, A 1 accredited, monitoring station. The monitoring
station has an Alpha status with OOO, meaning that, prima facie, if that monitoring
station contacts OOO, and says "I have a verified alarm, voice confirmed, we need
the police at this address, family violence situation", the police will be sent. It fast
tracks the process. The operator also has the client's history in front of them which
they can provide to the police as appropriate. The Safe TCard is designed to
complement rather than replace the police response. It helps provide the police
with the evidence they need for each particular case, and support workers as well,
to give them the tools that they need to support their clients. Attached to this
statement and marked "SS-4" is a Protective Services document entitled
"SafeTCard - Functions (Summary)".
55. The device can also be used as a chaperone service. A woman can activate the
SafeTCard and say "I am at Doncaster Shopping Centre, I am just returning to my
car, I am parked near Myer, there is a suspicious vehicle, I am a bit worried", and
the monitoring station will listen to that. She can request that the monitoring station
call her on the phone, and they will do so, and speak with them as they walk to their
car. She may then say "everything is OK" and then they can go through the
process of deactivating it.
56. The SafeTCard is an excellent tool in the fight against domestic violence and
provides peace of mind to survivors. It gives women and children the confidence
that if they activate the SafeTCard, they have the knowledge and the ability to say "I
WIT.0079.001.0010
need police now, there is an intervention order". That is empowering to women and
children, and we provide training about how to use the device, should that become
necessary.
57. We do not give a Safe TCard to every client, but of the 100 or so that we have
issued, we have not had a serious assault or death yet, and in fact we have had
some considerably improved results. When the device has had to be activated, the
police have responded in a timely fashion.
3G Safety Watch
58. 3G Safety Watch is a 24/7 monitored alarm that can be worn discreetly by the victim
and when in danger the red alert function can be activated. This will automatically
activate GPS and opens a line of communication to the monitoring centre. The
monitoring centre is .able to hear what is happening at the scene and can record the
information for up to 2 hours. As with SafeTCard, that recording can be used later
as evidence in either the Family Court or in criminal courts in relation to !VO
breaches. The monitoring centre can then call OOO, as described above, as
appropriate.
59. One advantage of the 3G Safety Watch, compared to the SafeTCard, is that instead
of reaching for a button on the latter device and holding it, with the watch the
woman just needs to touch her wrist, and then she can have her two hands free,
and speak to the monitoring centre. The watch is also connected to a phone
application, and an alarm sends the user's GPS location as a notification to that
application. The woman is able to determine who can see that notification,
including friends and support workers. Those people can then direct call the
woman on her 3G Safety Watch, through that application. The woman call also call
OOO directly from the 3G Safety Watch.
Steven Schultze
Dated: 22 July 2015
WITNESS STATEMENT OF STEVEN SCHULTZE
I, Steven Schultze, Senior Partner of Protective Group, Melbourne, in the State of Victoria,
say as follows:
1. I make this statement on the basis of my own knowledge, save where otherwise
stated. Where I make statements based on information provided by others, I
believe such information to be true.
Current role
2. I am the Senior Partner at Protective Group and Executive Director (Operations) of
Protective Services Ply Ltd (Protective Services). Protective Services is a private
risk management and investigation company specialising in community safety and
family violence.
3. Over the past two years I have operated within the family violence sector alongside
family violence services and State and Federal Government Departments. My
duties involve dealing directly with these services and their high risk clients in areas
such as risk, safety and lethality assessments, and implementation of safety
recommendations.
4. I also consult to Government and senior members of Victoria Police in relation to
various aspects of family violence, Safe at Home strategies and specific case
management.
Background and qualifications
5. I hold Advanced Diplomas of Integrated Risk Management, Work Place Health and
Safety, and Business from Churchill Education. I hold a Diploma in Security from
Churchill Education. I hold a range of security certificates, including a Certificate IV
in Security Risk Management and in Correctional Practices.
6. In June 1985, I joined the Victoria Police as a police officer and at the completion of
my training, I was stationed at stationed at Sunshine Police Station. In 1989, I was
WIT.0079.001.0001
recruited to the Bureau of Criminal Intelligence as a Detective Constable -
Surveillance/Covert Operative. I progressed to Detective Senior Constable at the
St Kilda Criminal Investigation Branch, before being stationed at the Armed
Robbery Squad and the Homicide Squad, in turn. I am a recipient of the Police
Integrity Medal.
7. In November 2000, I resigned from the. Victoria Police as a Detective Senior
Constable within the Homicide Squad and moved into the private sector and into
the security industry in particular. I have since occupied a number of management
positions and directorships at private companies, where my responsibilities have
included the implementation and management of security compliance systems.
8. I have provided project management and consultancy services to the private
security and commercial investigation industries. I am a safety consultant and
provide an emergency response for high risk clients of the Mary Anderson Family
Violence Service, within the Salvation Army. I am also a project consultant to the
Safe Futures Foundation Victoria (Safe Futures) and to Domestic Violence Victoria
(DV Vic) in relation to establishment of the State-wide "Safety in the Home" Project.
9. I am a Director and Partner of International Student Care Consultancy Group Ply
Ltd (International Student Care), and I have provided risk and safety assessments
relating to existing and potential international students. I am also a Director and
Partner of Protective Services.
10. In March 2014, I attended and completed Advanced Domestic Violence Training
conducted by the International Family Justice Alliance in the United States of
America. This training included attainment of competency in:
10.1. Intimate Partner Homicide Investigation;
10.2. Lethality and Perpetrator Assessing;
10.3. Advanced Strangulation Investigation;
10.4. Child and Adult Sexual Abuse;
10.5. Human Trafficking;
10.6. Elder Abuse;
10.7. Cultural Impact and Diversity relating to Family Violence;
10.8. Victimology and Victim Impact relating to Family Violence; and
WIT.0079.001.0002
10.9. Stalking.
Protective Group
11. Protective Group is a private group of three companies: Safeguard Security
Solutions, International Student Care and Protective Services, that specialise in
security and safety risk management within the family violence sector and
international student sectors.
12. Attached to this statement and marked "SS-1" is a copy of Protective Group's 2015
Annual Report.
Protective Services
13. Protective Services are specialists in risk management in the family violence sector.
We work in partnership with Government, the not-for-profit sector, the Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Victoria Police to implement strategies
to keep women and children safe in their own homes.
14. We have been very successful in this field and trials resulted in a State Government
project that will see, with Protective Services' assistance, 200 high risk family
violence survivors provided with Close Circuit Television (CCTV) and SafeTCard
personal duress alarms.
15. We are currently developing new technology that looks into perpetrator tracking and
has the ability to connect to our existing personal duress devices worn by the
victims/survivors. We are determined to wrap a safety net around family violence
victims and their families, and understand that while many societal changes are
needed to put an end to this insidious issue, in the interim we must protect those
that suffer at the hands of present and former intimate partners.
16. Protective Services has also consulted to family violence services and actively
participated in training workers in areas such as conflict resolution, hostile
environment training and the use of safety devices.
17. We have conducted risk assessments and recommendations in relation to premises
including offices, refuges, transitional housing, safe housing and longer term
accommodation.
WIT.0079.001.0003
Family Violence Risk Management
18. Since the middle of 2013, Protective Services has worked closely with a number of
agencies, including the Salvation Army, Safe Futures, WISHIN Foundation and the
Uniting Church, to develop strategies to reduce the risk of violence posed to family
violence victims by their partners.
19. In a nutshell, a risk assessment is conducted on the victim, the perpetrator and the
property, and strategies are put into place to wrap the victim in a safety net.
20. We have worked with The Crossroads Family Violence Service, at the Salvation
Army, to provide 28 primary interventions and 66 secondary consultations. A
primary intervention involves active participation in risk assessment and ongoing
case management. Secondary consultations include services such as:
20.1. a review of risk assessment and any safety plan;
20.2. issuing and training the woman with the personal duress alarm, including
training in hostile environment awareness, conflict resolution, cyber
awareness and security training; and
20.3. a review of the case file and any police investigation.
21. We have similarly provided in excess of 60 primary and secondary support
consultations to women engaged with Safe Futures.
22. We have worked with and for approximately 200 victims of family violence.
23. Our focus is on the protection of people and not the protection of property. The
purpose of CCTV cameras, as well as the other technology detailed below, is
always safety first: it is about protecting people. Safety is the primary purpose,
rather than deterrence.
24. You can implement the most robust and effective safety measures on a client's
property, however this still cannot always guarantee their safety. Protecting the
individual/s at risk is what is imperative. There is a range of measures that we can
implement to improve women's safety. Some of these measures can also assist in
evidence gathering for those cases where a woman has not been able to prove
breaches of an intervention order occurring at a property because no concrete
evidence existed to utilise in a court hearing: it was only her word against his.
WIT.0079.001.0004
25. I can state that no women or women with children that we have worked with have
been physically assaulted or harmed when having implemented our unique safety
measures.
26. Intervention order (IVO) breaches involving my clients have been significantly
reduced, with only three instances of breaches being reported since the end of
2013. On these occasions, either the woman's verified personal duress alarm was
activated and police attended, or evidence was gathered by CCTV cameras and
utilised to remand the perpetrator.
Risk Assessment
27. If we are referred a client from a family violence service, we will firstly gather, by
phone or by email, as much information as possible about the woman, her children
and the perpetrator.
28. We request the family violence service provide their intake assessment, risk
assessment, details of any IVOs, past statements, and police information. We ask
that they send as much information as the client will consent to; ensuring that we
can gather information relating to the past actions of the perpetrator. We try to
understand the ways that the perpetrator is likely to behave and then create
protection mechanisms based on that understanding. It is not just a question of
how vulnerable the client may be, but also how the perpetrator operates.
29. We will meet with the client at the family violence service or, if they believe a Safe
at Home program may be available to them, we may meet at the property to
conduct a physical risk assessment. We talk with the client's worker, usually at
length, and ask imperative questions in the most sensitive way possible. We may
ask, "What have the police told you? Do we need to speak to the police on your
behalf? Is there any more that we are not being told?" We may ask the police,
"What is your assessment of the victim's risk? What can you tell me about this
man?" The questions we will ask are subject to the level of detail already obtained
from the documentation provided. Where possible, we try to minimise the number
of times women are required to re-tell or re-visit their family violence experiences,
avoiding any possible re-traumatisation or distress for the victim.
30. We will then provide a realistic appraisal of what we think the situation reflects.
WIT.0079.001.0005
31. We have worked with Safe Futures to develop a risk assessment tool, and that is
what we utilise. We also have an additional lethality assessment, which draws
upon the training from the United States, set out above.
Interaction with Victoria Police
32. The frustration, from our perspective, is that when we deal with these women, and
their support agencies, they say to us they have fallen through the cracks with the
Victoria Police. The Police cannot be expected to respond to the 67 ,OOO response
call outs that they receive. However, the reality is that women and children's violent
experiences are not being validated, being left unseen, unheard and unprotected
because of system failures, and in some cases, the failure to conduct proper
criminal investigation of family violence matters.
33. Where Police are required to attend because of a reported breach of an IVO, good
practice is to conduct a forensic examination of the scene and a proper
investigation of what occurred, and gather evidence. If they did so, not only would
they be able to charge perpetrators for being there in breach of the order, they may
find from the evidence (for example, evidence of attempted strangulation shown in
bruises or marks) that they have an attempted murder, or an unlawful
imprisonment: a serious crime may well have been committed and the perpetrator
should be charged accordingly. I have seen cases where the response from
Victoria Police has been completely inappropriate given the victim's circumstances.
In saying that, I appreciate that first responders often face considerable difficulty
with victims being reluctant to fully disclose details of the family violence incident. It
is my experience that, in these cases, the abuse has been ongoing for years and for
a number of reasons victims will minimise or be unable to fully disclose the extent of
the abuse.
34. Additional challenges are faced when police respond to incidents where women are
not only victims of family violence but also perpetrators of crime, or have a history of
crime. I have worked with clients where they have been subjected to serious abuse
by their partner and, during their relationship, the client has, for a number of
reasons, also committed a crime. For instance, I have clients who by their own
admission are or have been drug users. This however does not negate the fact that
they have been subjected to serious abuse by their intimate partner and require
extensive outreach assistance. However in some instances, it has affected the way
WIT.0079.001.0006
that they have been treated by police. It is my experience that developing rapport,
trust and keeping an open mind is the key to any investigation.
35. Where a victim alleges or the evidence suggests serious injury it should be
investigated accordingly. You cannot consent to a serious injury. However when
you have got inexperienced police officers providing the first response to family
violence, they can pigeon hole people or form an opinion/perception based on the
victim's demeanour, for instance, at the scene, or perhaps even based on their
knowledge of the women prior to attending. There are issues around how first
responders interact with victims of family violence; how victims of family violence
disclose their abuse, and then the first responders' impression.
36. Those inexperienced officers may fill in the L 17 form at the scene or they may not.
You need to have a senior member of the police at the station educating and
training officers that they are attending a crime scene. If the police do not evidence
gather right away, that evidence may be lost. For a young detective confronted with
an assault or a rape, I cannot understand why the approach would be different
depending on whether or not it occurred domestically or it happened on the street.
Information sharing
37. I have experienced occasions where family violence services and the police have
not worked together: I have witnessed an 'us and them' mentality. We try to educate
family violence workers on how to better interact with police officers. We will
provide a number of tools to assist workers, including questions for the workers to
ask police, and advice on any procedural questions the service or the client may
have. I have also had the opportunity to discuss specific case management
strategies with attending police.
38. If we could get the family violence service, DHHS, the police, medical services; all
of the relevant agencies talking together, sharing information and generally working
together, then we could put measures in place to improve women's safety much
faster. We are all working together towards the same end, however in reality for
various reasons this does not happen.
39. A lot of the work we do at Protective Services is filling the gaps between the family
violence service and the police. We will often be asked by the client, "Can you tell
us how this part of the police process works?"
WIT.0079.001.0007
Risk Management
40. After we have conducted the risk assessment, and discussed with the client and her
support worker what we consider the risk to be, and why, we will make
recommendations to improve her safety.
41. My recommendation to the service will usually commence with "further liaison with
the police is required/ ongoing risk assessment and safety planning is required". I
will discuss with the client and the service provider whether more outreach support
would be of assistance, and then we will discuss physical treatments, which may
include CCTV, shutters, and so on. We try to give the client general advice as well,
for instance, about letterbox security, and training around cyber safety. We have
electronic equipment and we can sweep for bugs, if necessary.
42. I will say to the client "by sitting here with us, you are actually in control of the
situation, you decide what goes on", and sometimes you can immediately see the
effect that has on a client, when they start to feel empowered.
43. Our recommendations in relation to risk and safety are also provided to the client in
report form. Attached to this statement and marked "SS-2" is a de-identified report
provided to a Protective Services client.
Court processes
44. I have attended the Magistrates' Court, Children's Court and Family Court with
clients and family violence workers as a part of our risk management service. My
role has included support, security of the client and to assist Counsel in relation to
particular aspects of the case. My clients have included family violence services
staff, DHHS, the victims themselves and solicitors representing the parties to the
case. I have personally observed the exposure of clients in this environment and
the terror experienced when seeing the perpetrator in these surroundings. Often
this is the first time the victim has physically seen or been in the presence of the
perpetrator since the violence.
45. On one occasion at the Family Court I watched the Respondent maintain
surveillance on the "secure entry and exit door". I was able to liaise with the police
officers in attendance and we were able to formulate a strategy to allow the client
and her small child to leave the court unseen. Other court hearings have allowed
associates of the Respondent to attend the hearing in numbers and display what I
WIT.0079.001.0008
will describe as nothing short of intimidating behaviour toward the victim. As a
general comment, there is an obvious lack of risk assessing and subsequent safety
planning for clients attending court.
Improving Safety in the Home Project
46. The Improving Safety in the Home response is an early intervention initiative
between Protective Services and Safe Futures to enhance the safety of women who
have separated from their abusive partners, yet are still at risk of further abuse.
The primary aim is to support women and their children to stay in their own homes
when safe and appropriate.
47. The key components of our Improving Safety in the Home program are set out in
the Protective Services document entitled "Capability Statement and Executive
Summary June 2015", which is attached to this statement and marked "SS-3".
48. In some instances, to make a woman feel safer, we focus on particular rooms in her
house, for instance, the bathroom. If a perpetrator was to force his way into the
house, we have a room, which looks outwardly looks normal, which he will not be
able to get into. That allows us to buy some time, during which the woman can use
her SafeTCard or mobile phone to call the police.
49. There are circumstances where the perpetrator is going to present at the property
and breach no matter what we do to improve the safety of the home - and where
the Improving Safety in the Home program is not going to be appropriate. I have
observed that this is in the minority of instances.
CCTV.
50. CCTV cameras are one strategy we deploy that can protect women in the home,
because the perpetrator knows, with that camera present, he cannot go there
without there being evidence of his presence.
51. We connect our CCTV cameras to a static internet address, rather than having
ongoing monitoring of the video. We can give the woman an application on their
phone, so that they can check the cameras before they go outside or before they
arrive home. We can also retrieve the footage for use as evidence in Family Court
and criminal proceedings, which we have done on a few occasions.
WIT.0079.001.0009
52. The other side of the coin is that our clients feel safer knowing that they have
cameras at their property. SafeTCard offers another layer of protection, as do
doors, locks and screen windows. Rather than replacing anything, or relying on one
thing in particular, these services all complement each other, and that feeling of
safety. It is as important for women to feel safe as it is to actually be safe.
SafeTCard
53. It is widely accepted that the use of a mobile phone in a situation where there is a
threat of abuse or attack is not only difficult but the movement of trying to locate the
phone can often inflame the situation.
54. The SafeTCard is disguised as an ID card holder. It provides discrete dual
verification in a dedicated purpose unit, allowing users to alert an operator, and the
operator to then assess the situation and take appropriate and proportionate action.
The operator is located at a 24/7, A 1 accredited, monitoring station. The monitoring
station has an Alpha status with OOO, meaning that, prima facie, if that monitoring
station contacts OOO, and says "I have a verified alarm, voice confirmed, we need
the police at this address, family violence situation", the police will be sent. It fast
tracks the process. The operator also has the client's history in front of them which
they can provide to the police as appropriate. The Safe TCard is designed to
complement rather than replace the police response. It helps provide the police
with the evidence they need for each particular case, and support workers as well,
to give them the tools that they need to support their clients. Attached to this
statement and marked "SS-4" is a Protective Services document entitled
"SafeTCard - Functions (Summary)".
55. The device can also be used as a chaperone service. A woman can activate the
SafeTCard and say "I am at Doncaster Shopping Centre, I am just returning to my
car, I am parked near Myer, there is a suspicious vehicle, I am a bit worried", and
the monitoring station will listen to that. She can request that the monitoring station
call her on the phone, and they will do so, and speak with them as they walk to their
car. She may then say "everything is OK" and then they can go through the
process of deactivating it.
56. The SafeTCard is an excellent tool in the fight against domestic violence and
provides peace of mind to survivors. It gives women and children the confidence
that if they activate the SafeTCard, they have the knowledge and the ability to say "I
WIT.0079.001.0010
need police now, there is an intervention order". That is empowering to women and
children, and we provide training about how to use the device, should that become
necessary.
57. We do not give a Safe TCard to every client, but of the 100 or so that we have
issued, we have not had a serious assault or death yet, and in fact we have had
some considerably improved results. When the device has had to be activated, the
police have responded in a timely fashion.
3G Safety Watch
58. 3G Safety Watch is a 24/7 monitored alarm that can be worn discreetly by the victim
and when in danger the red alert function can be activated. This will automatically
activate GPS and opens a line of communication to the monitoring centre. The
monitoring centre is .able to hear what is happening at the scene and can record the
information for up to 2 hours. As with SafeTCard, that recording can be used later
as evidence in either the Family Court or in criminal courts in relation to !VO
breaches. The monitoring centre can then call OOO, as described above, as
appropriate.
59. One advantage of the 3G Safety Watch, compared to the SafeTCard, is that instead
of reaching for a button on the latter device and holding it, with the watch the
woman just needs to touch her wrist, and then she can have her two hands free,
and speak to the monitoring centre. The watch is also connected to a phone
application, and an alarm sends the user's GPS location as a notification to that
application. The woman is able to determine who can see that notification,
including friends and support workers. Those people can then direct call the
woman on her 3G Safety Watch, through that application. The woman call also call
OOO directly from the 3G Safety Watch.
Steven Schultze
Dated: 22 July 2015


Why was child-killer John Edwards, who had a violent history, able to hire a PI to spy on his family
In December 2016, John Edwards hired a private investigator to follow his estranged wife, Olga. They were to track her at home and at work, to establish if she was seeing anyone new.
Edwards had met Olga in Russia when he was 50 and she was 19. They had two children together in Australia but their marriage broke down as he became increasingly controlling and angry. He had a “propensity for domestic violence and a history of psychological and physical assaults stretching back to the early 1990s”, a coronial inquest would later hear, and apprehended violence orders dating back to 1993.
A year and a half after he paid for his wife to be surveilled, the 68-year-old retired financial planner entered Olga’s home in Sydney’s Hills district and murdered their son and daughter – Jack, 15, and Jennifer, 13. Afterwards, he killed himself.
He died with a piece of paper in his top left pocket that appeared to describe Jennifer’s afternoon movements from her high school to her Pennant Hills home.
It emerged during the inquest into the deaths of Jack and Jennifer that Edwards had a history of using private investigators. He also hired one in 2010 to track down the current name and address of his older daughter, according to the coroner’s report. They had been estranged since she was a teenager after he subjected her mother, a previous partner, to a terrifying campaign of abuse.
He then showed up at an open house at the daughter’s home, giving a fake name to the real estate agent.
“[She] felt scared and physically ill after she realised her father had been in her home and took to leaving the house during the day, until her husband came home from work,” the report states. Edwards later approached her at her daughter’s preschool, and she reported him to the police.
Lack of scrutiny on PIs and family violence
In the years since the Edwards inquest concluded in 2021, the use of private investigators in situations where there might be family violence and stalking concerns or where there are AVOs in place has gone largely unscrutinised – in an industry with few obligations to screen clients or targets for such concerns, meaning investigators may operate unaware of these risks.
There are 1,769 private investigator licences active in New South Wales, according to NSW police, but no requirement to check clients for AVOs or any mandated training around family violence risks.
Eighteen licences have been revoked since 2019, according to NSW police answers to a question on notice from the NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson. These include 13 for convictions related to an indictable offence (which could include crimes such as assault, theft, fraud and drug offences) and two due to breaches of the Surveillance Devices Act.
Separately, there were 32 complaints about private investigators in that period, but none had their licence removed after an investigation.
Guardian Australia has identified cases around Australia where private investigators were used to track down addresses when there have been family violence orders.
There is the paternal grandmother who hired a private investigator to track down her daughter-in-law’s address, per a 2024 family court judgment, despite the existence of an apprehended domestic violence order between the parents for the mother’s protection.
And the man with a 12-month apprehended domestic violence order who hired a PI to locate his former partner’s new residence – behaviour he later acknowledged, according to a 2021 family court judgment, was “inappropriate and caused the mother distress”.
In Queensland a man was convicted in 2018 of the attempted murder of a baby after he tracked down a woman he was obsessed with, broke into her home and used a knife to attack her and her 10-month-old son. He also pleaded guilty to wounding, grievous bodily harm and break and enter.
The man used a private investigator to track down the victim. “He engaged one such investigator under the ruse that she had allegedly defrauded him of about $200,000 and he needed her address so his lawyers could pursue her,” according to court documents.
Most Australian states don’t have a requirement for private investigators to check clients’ domestic violence histories – although Queensland’s laws are set to change in 2025 to address this issue.
‘Why aren’t we training investigators?’
Some private investigators advertising online specifically promote their expertise online in tracking down “cheating spouses” and providing “peace of mind” for those worried about whether their partner is seeing other people.
Several of these companies also sell spyware, including hidden cameras and trackers. A 2024 investigation into the criminal use of tracking and surveillance devices by the NSW Crime Commission examined the sale of almost 6,000 devices over about 12 months. It found that 25% of customers had a recorded history of domestic violence.
More than 120 of the 3,147 customers it examined were apprehended violence order defendants when they made the purchase, including some who bought a tracking device in the days after an AVO was enforced. It identified one instance where a tracking device was sold to a customer who had been charged on 13 occasions with contravening an AVO.
The NSW Crime Commission’s report particularly noted the potential risk of the private investigation and “spy store” industries, and that PIs have no requirement to do due diligence on customers before providing services or selling spyware. “In fact, it is likely some private investigators remain wilfully blind to their client’s criminal involvement and intentions,” it concluded.
NSW’s crime commissioner, Michael Barnes, said he personally found the marketing of spyware as a means to track romantic partners “abhorrent”.
“We were shocked to find that the high proportion of those who had purchased [spyware devices] were also in those databases as serious DV offenders,” he said. “That’s why our recommendations make suggestions to tighten up that industry, [and] to license the sale of the devices.”
Stephen Wilson, the chief executive of Protective Group, said it was “unethical” for investigators to also be selling spyware. He’s worked with family violence victim-survivors to assess their risk and find devices – from car trackers and smartphone spyware to hidden cameras. On occasions, the use of physical surveillance has also been a likely threat.
“We’re now teaching hairdressers around the risk,” he said. “Why aren’t we training investigators? Why aren’t we training them on family violence, how to identify it, how to respond to it?”
“We know that abusers are systematically looking for ways to thwart the system, and we urge police and magistrates to be aware of this,” said Karen Bentley, the chief executive of Wesnet, a peak body for family violence services. “Any regulation of [private investigators] should consider the safety-first principle we need to prioritise the safety of victim-survivors.
“There’s no legitimate reason to be selling spyware in the domestic market. There is none.”
The state coroner Teresa O’Sullivan, who investigated the deaths of Jack and Jennifer, described their deaths as “preventable” at the conclusion of her inquiry in 2021, noting errors made by firearms registry staff, police and the family court.
“It is difficult to imagine the pain that Olga felt when she returned home from work on 5 July 2018 to find police at her home and [realise] her two children who she loved dearly had been killed,” O’Sullivan said at the time.
Olga, who had taken to sleeping in her son’s bed, would kill herself five months after the deaths of her children
Edwards had met Olga in Russia when he was 50 and she was 19. They had two children together in Australia but their marriage broke down as he became increasingly controlling and angry. He had a “propensity for domestic violence and a history of psychological and physical assaults stretching back to the early 1990s”, a coronial inquest would later hear, and apprehended violence orders dating back to 1993.
A year and a half after he paid for his wife to be surveilled, the 68-year-old retired financial planner entered Olga’s home in Sydney’s Hills district and murdered their son and daughter – Jack, 15, and Jennifer, 13. Afterwards, he killed himself.
He died with a piece of paper in his top left pocket that appeared to describe Jennifer’s afternoon movements from her high school to her Pennant Hills home.
It emerged during the inquest into the deaths of Jack and Jennifer that Edwards had a history of using private investigators. He also hired one in 2010 to track down the current name and address of his older daughter, according to the coroner’s report. They had been estranged since she was a teenager after he subjected her mother, a previous partner, to a terrifying campaign of abuse.
He then showed up at an open house at the daughter’s home, giving a fake name to the real estate agent.
“[She] felt scared and physically ill after she realised her father had been in her home and took to leaving the house during the day, until her husband came home from work,” the report states. Edwards later approached her at her daughter’s preschool, and she reported him to the police.
Lack of scrutiny on PIs and family violence
In the years since the Edwards inquest concluded in 2021, the use of private investigators in situations where there might be family violence and stalking concerns or where there are AVOs in place has gone largely unscrutinised – in an industry with few obligations to screen clients or targets for such concerns, meaning investigators may operate unaware of these risks.
There are 1,769 private investigator licences active in New South Wales, according to NSW police, but no requirement to check clients for AVOs or any mandated training around family violence risks.
Eighteen licences have been revoked since 2019, according to NSW police answers to a question on notice from the NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson. These include 13 for convictions related to an indictable offence (which could include crimes such as assault, theft, fraud and drug offences) and two due to breaches of the Surveillance Devices Act.
Separately, there were 32 complaints about private investigators in that period, but none had their licence removed after an investigation.
Guardian Australia has identified cases around Australia where private investigators were used to track down addresses when there have been family violence orders.
There is the paternal grandmother who hired a private investigator to track down her daughter-in-law’s address, per a 2024 family court judgment, despite the existence of an apprehended domestic violence order between the parents for the mother’s protection.
And the man with a 12-month apprehended domestic violence order who hired a PI to locate his former partner’s new residence – behaviour he later acknowledged, according to a 2021 family court judgment, was “inappropriate and caused the mother distress”.
In Queensland a man was convicted in 2018 of the attempted murder of a baby after he tracked down a woman he was obsessed with, broke into her home and used a knife to attack her and her 10-month-old son. He also pleaded guilty to wounding, grievous bodily harm and break and enter.
The man used a private investigator to track down the victim. “He engaged one such investigator under the ruse that she had allegedly defrauded him of about $200,000 and he needed her address so his lawyers could pursue her,” according to court documents.
Most Australian states don’t have a requirement for private investigators to check clients’ domestic violence histories – although Queensland’s laws are set to change in 2025 to address this issue.
‘Why aren’t we training investigators?’
Some private investigators advertising online specifically promote their expertise online in tracking down “cheating spouses” and providing “peace of mind” for those worried about whether their partner is seeing other people.
Several of these companies also sell spyware, including hidden cameras and trackers. A 2024 investigation into the criminal use of tracking and surveillance devices by the NSW Crime Commission examined the sale of almost 6,000 devices over about 12 months. It found that 25% of customers had a recorded history of domestic violence.
More than 120 of the 3,147 customers it examined were apprehended violence order defendants when they made the purchase, including some who bought a tracking device in the days after an AVO was enforced. It identified one instance where a tracking device was sold to a customer who had been charged on 13 occasions with contravening an AVO.
The NSW Crime Commission’s report particularly noted the potential risk of the private investigation and “spy store” industries, and that PIs have no requirement to do due diligence on customers before providing services or selling spyware. “In fact, it is likely some private investigators remain wilfully blind to their client’s criminal involvement and intentions,” it concluded.
NSW’s crime commissioner, Michael Barnes, said he personally found the marketing of spyware as a means to track romantic partners “abhorrent”.
“We were shocked to find that the high proportion of those who had purchased [spyware devices] were also in those databases as serious DV offenders,” he said. “That’s why our recommendations make suggestions to tighten up that industry, [and] to license the sale of the devices.”
Stephen Wilson, the chief executive of Protective Group, said it was “unethical” for investigators to also be selling spyware. He’s worked with family violence victim-survivors to assess their risk and find devices – from car trackers and smartphone spyware to hidden cameras. On occasions, the use of physical surveillance has also been a likely threat.
“We’re now teaching hairdressers around the risk,” he said. “Why aren’t we training investigators? Why aren’t we training them on family violence, how to identify it, how to respond to it?”
“We know that abusers are systematically looking for ways to thwart the system, and we urge police and magistrates to be aware of this,” said Karen Bentley, the chief executive of Wesnet, a peak body for family violence services. “Any regulation of [private investigators] should consider the safety-first principle we need to prioritise the safety of victim-survivors.
“There’s no legitimate reason to be selling spyware in the domestic market. There is none.”
The state coroner Teresa O’Sullivan, who investigated the deaths of Jack and Jennifer, described their deaths as “preventable” at the conclusion of her inquiry in 2021, noting errors made by firearms registry staff, police and the family court.
“It is difficult to imagine the pain that Olga felt when she returned home from work on 5 July 2018 to find police at her home and [realise] her two children who she loved dearly had been killed,” O’Sullivan said at the time.
Olga, who had taken to sleeping in her son’s bed, would kill herself five months after the deaths of her children


How DV thugs are tracking their victims
MORE than 500 Gold Coast families have sought safety checks on their homes and vehicles as domestic violence thugs use tracking devices to stalk them.
As the Government struggles to provide GPS tracking bracelets to police perpetrators, the Gold Coast Bulletin can reveal how violent partners are using technology to harass victims.
At least 200 women have been referred to a private company by Queensland Police and another 350 from a government-run home safety program for urgent security checks.
“That victims of domestic violence whose perpetrators are known to the police as high risk, have to seek out private companies to ensure their safety is appalling,” Opposition frontbencher Ros Bates said.
“The LNP introduced some of the toughest domestic violence in laws in the country, from Opposition, because the lazy Labor Government didn’t protect Queensland women. GPS trackers, which have alerts for both the perpetrator and the victim was part of the LNP policy.
“However, Labor didn’t seem to think that the victims needed security, and decided on a different option.”
Protective Group has found listening devices placed by DV offenders in the dashboards of the cars of former partners and ceilings of their family home.
The former Queensland police officer, who was the personal protection officer for ex-Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, said the tracking devices were often secured before relationships “exploded”.
“If you have access to their mobile phone you can install a program on their phone and you can’t see it on the phone,”
“I found a couple (of listening devices) in the dashboards of cars. There was a voice recorder hidden in a house, hidden cameras in the roofs.
“It’s called gas lighting. What they do is try and stalk and harass. They will say to you (the victim) that ‘I saw you in the red jumper I bought you for Christmas’. And the person will say ‘how do you know that?’”
Hearts of Purple CEO Michelle Beattie said she had worn one of the watches for almost a year and it gave her a stronger sense of protection.
Ms Beattie went public last year about safety concerns and what she saw as the reluctance of the courts to put GPS trackers on perpetrators.
“What these watches do is give you the confidence to walk out of the door and do things, to be able to do the normal,” Ms Beattie said.
“There are times I’ve forgotten mine, gone to the supermarket and come back home to get it to do the shopping. They give you a piece of mind as a parent. There’s ones for kids as well.”
As the Government struggles to provide GPS tracking bracelets to police perpetrators, the Gold Coast Bulletin can reveal how violent partners are using technology to harass victims.
At least 200 women have been referred to a private company by Queensland Police and another 350 from a government-run home safety program for urgent security checks.
“That victims of domestic violence whose perpetrators are known to the police as high risk, have to seek out private companies to ensure their safety is appalling,” Opposition frontbencher Ros Bates said.
“The LNP introduced some of the toughest domestic violence in laws in the country, from Opposition, because the lazy Labor Government didn’t protect Queensland women. GPS trackers, which have alerts for both the perpetrator and the victim was part of the LNP policy.
“However, Labor didn’t seem to think that the victims needed security, and decided on a different option.”
Protective Group has found listening devices placed by DV offenders in the dashboards of the cars of former partners and ceilings of their family home.
The former Queensland police officer, who was the personal protection officer for ex-Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, said the tracking devices were often secured before relationships “exploded”.
“If you have access to their mobile phone you can install a program on their phone and you can’t see it on the phone,”
“I found a couple (of listening devices) in the dashboards of cars. There was a voice recorder hidden in a house, hidden cameras in the roofs.
“It’s called gas lighting. What they do is try and stalk and harass. They will say to you (the victim) that ‘I saw you in the red jumper I bought you for Christmas’. And the person will say ‘how do you know that?’”
Hearts of Purple CEO Michelle Beattie said she had worn one of the watches for almost a year and it gave her a stronger sense of protection.
Ms Beattie went public last year about safety concerns and what she saw as the reluctance of the courts to put GPS trackers on perpetrators.
“What these watches do is give you the confidence to walk out of the door and do things, to be able to do the normal,” Ms Beattie said.
“There are times I’ve forgotten mine, gone to the supermarket and come back home to get it to do the shopping. They give you a piece of mind as a parent. There’s ones for kids as well.”


DV offenders using technology to keep tabs on victims
DOMESTIC violence offenders are using spy technology and putting tracking devices in prams, bags and cars to stalk their victims.
Police from the Gold Coast Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce have given an insight into the lengths perpetrators are prepared to go to keep former “loved ones” in their sights.
Taskforce Detective Inspector Marc Hogan said stalking was “common” among family violence offenders and the use of technology made it easier to do so.
“If the stalking gets into the technology side, the amount of technology used is a good indicator (of DV),” he told the Bulletin.
“(Some spy technology) tells you where the (victims) are, where they’ve been, their phone calls, everything.”
Det Insp Hogan said the Taskforce started work alongside the Salvation Army Crossroads Network, which incorporates the Safer In The Home program, soon after it formed last year.
The program, which uses federal-funded Protective Group specialist services, helped to prevent social media “leakage” of domestic violence victims, he said.
“I got on to this guy and we started to bring him up here because we have women that just cannot explain how (the offender) knows where they are all the time, so then you ask ‘Well, how does that happen?,’” Det Insp Hogan said.
“So you shut down the social media stuff and he still knows, so how does that happen?”
General manager of risk for family and domestic violence at Protective Group, said the customised program incorporated a complete risk and security assessment for victims, including cyber security.
“We find out the details of the perpetrator, details of patterns,” he said.
“(Victims) are being monitored by iCloud, tracking devices, spyware, and key logging software (where offenders can see what exactly is being typed by the victim).”
Associate professor of criminology at Bond University Wayne Petherick said technology was well used in family violence situations.
Police from the Gold Coast Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce have given an insight into the lengths perpetrators are prepared to go to keep former “loved ones” in their sights.
Taskforce Detective Inspector Marc Hogan said stalking was “common” among family violence offenders and the use of technology made it easier to do so.
“If the stalking gets into the technology side, the amount of technology used is a good indicator (of DV),” he told the Bulletin.
“(Some spy technology) tells you where the (victims) are, where they’ve been, their phone calls, everything.”
Det Insp Hogan said the Taskforce started work alongside the Salvation Army Crossroads Network, which incorporates the Safer In The Home program, soon after it formed last year.
The program, which uses federal-funded Protective Group specialist services, helped to prevent social media “leakage” of domestic violence victims, he said.
“I got on to this guy and we started to bring him up here because we have women that just cannot explain how (the offender) knows where they are all the time, so then you ask ‘Well, how does that happen?,’” Det Insp Hogan said.
“So you shut down the social media stuff and he still knows, so how does that happen?”
General manager of risk for family and domestic violence at Protective Group, said the customised program incorporated a complete risk and security assessment for victims, including cyber security.
“We find out the details of the perpetrator, details of patterns,” he said.
“(Victims) are being monitored by iCloud, tracking devices, spyware, and key logging software (where offenders can see what exactly is being typed by the victim).”
Associate professor of criminology at Bond University Wayne Petherick said technology was well used in family violence situations.