What is a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO)?
Before a DVPN ends, the police must apply to the magistrates' court for a DVPO if they want to continue to protect you. The court will make the DVPO if:
- you are associated with the abuser (see Non-Molestation Order);
- it is satisfied it is more likely than not that the perpetrator has been violent or has threatened violence towards you; and
- the DVPO is necessary to protect you from violence or the threat of violence
A DVPO must be applied for within 48 hours of a DVPN being issued. The DVPN will forbid the abuser from molesting you or from entering or coming within a certain distance of your home.
A DVPO can last for between 14 to 28 days.
DVPOs and DVPNs only apply to people who are associated to each other (see Non-Molestation Order).