Australian state launches domestic violence task force

Australia's Victoria state police on Tuesday commissioned a domestic violence task force, in a first-of-its-kind move in the country.

The Family Violence Command was launched by Victoria Police's newly-appointed Assistant Commissioner Dean McWhirter, Xinhua reported.

In a statement, he pledged to help curb all forms of family violence.

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

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