Crime Statistic Agency figures show family violence incidents have increased by 5.7 percent per cent. This number has grown by 16.5 per cent over the past five years.

Victims are predominantly women aged 20 to 39 with male perpetrators aged 30-39 the most likely to commit an offence. In all, 75.1 per cent of all family violence victims are female while 75.9 per cent of offenders were male.

Superintendent Jenny Wilson said while it was disappointing to see an increase in such incidents, she felt more people were prepared to stand up against it.

"Ordinarily within crime statistics you are looking for decreases, but considering we have had a focus on the establishment of a designated crime investigation team for family violence, we see that as a positive because we believe that is people coming and reporting things to us," she said..

"But any time there's one of these offences, it's too much. 

"So we are very committed to encourage people to come, but we are using all of our resources that we have afterwards in enforcement tools and education as well.

"We expect these figures will go up, but what we're aiming for in the long term is to eliminate all violence in the community."

During 2018, Ballarat saw 1503 breaches of order, up from 1317 the previous year.

"We've had some changes to bail act in the middle of last year and also with an increased focus on from that family violence investigation unit, we are now taking out more orders and which has also meant we've seen more breaches of those orders," Superintendent Wilson said.

"We have more stringent controls around the breaches of order and now breaches have those people brought in under the bail act and they then have to explain what they've done in front of a court and those people are being taken into custody more and more we find."

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