A report compiled by Kerry Carrington, a professor at the Queensland University of Technology, recommended that all-female cop shops were the answer to reducing Australia’s “high rate of domestic and family violence.”

"Domestic and family violence account for a significant proportion of lethal violence in Australia and we have not been successful in reducing it,” Professor Carrington said.

“We need new tactics and to look around the world for systems that work.”

Professor Carrington said the first women-only police station opened in Brazil in 1985 expanding to 475 stations.

"Women-only police stations deal exclusively with female victims of domestic violence,” she said.

“They do employ male police officers but not on the front desk.

"They are one-stop shops for these women as they are staffed by specially trained female police officers, psychologists, lawyers and social workers.

“The women are protected and do not need to go outside to access these other vital services.”

Mount Isa Police officer Sergeant Jakki Poustie shared her views with The North West Star on the concept, saying she was not in favour of the idea.

“The idea of a one-stop shop for DV [domestic violence] certainly has merit however it should not be gender specific as DV affects both male and female victims,” she said.

North Queensland Domestic Violence Resource Service (NQDVRS) Senior Worker Matt Moss said the report provided an interesting view on the issue.

“The service (in the article), deals exclusively with the aggrieved in domestic violence cases and assists the woman to get all the assistance and information she might need in a “one stop shop”,” Mr Moss said.

“In Australia we currently have some very good domestic violence services, who work with the aggrieved on a number of challenging issues.

“Though not exactly a ‘one-stop-shop’, these services include workers that also deal with the perpetrators and try to address the holistic issues that encourage and support ideals of domestic violence in these men’s lives.”

Mr Moss said the points raised by Professor Carrington echoed the issues raised by Dame Quintin Bryce’s report ‘Not Now – Not Ever’. 

“Ideas that work well in one country or region are usually developed with the underlying concepts and values of those in the community and implementing, developing and working around these concepts is a slow process,” he said.

“The project Professor Carrington is talking about started up in 1985 and the United Nations Women evaluation happened in 2011 – 26 years latter or almost two generations.

“We need to be careful about taking something that works in a different country with different values and belief systems, and trying to make it work in Australia without looking at all the issues that impact on the problem / solution.”

Mr Moss noted that Australia had services available with passionate staff members dedicated to confronting jobs.

“Unfortunately these services on their own will never achieve the reduction in violence and abuse towards women without society coming together and saying ‘enough, no more violence against our women, they deserve our respect’,” he said.

“Perhaps we could look at how we can improve what works already and possibly enhance existing services with specialist officers and improve the ‘one-stop-shop’ concept around DV Services and shelters.”