Applying for a Protection Order: Long-term protection against family violence
Protection orders made in criminal cases
When can the criminal courts make Protection Orders?
When sentencing a person for a family violence offence (other than a breach of a Protection Order), a judge in the District Court can also make a Protection Order if:
- the judge is satisfied the order is necessary to protect the victim of the offence, and
- the victim doesn’t object to the Protection Order (the victim’s view can be made known through a victim impact statement or a victim adviser’s report).
Once a Protection Order is made the court must send a copy to the Family Court nearest to where the victim lives. The order then has the same status as a final Protection Order issued by the Family Court.
Judges in the District Court can also make a temporary Protection Order against anyone who breaches a Police Safety Order, if the person at risk doesn’t object (see: “Police Safety Orders: Immediate, short-term protection against family violence”).
