Coercive Control Monitoring Report June 2026

Key findings:

• Between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026, NSW Police recorded 682 incidents of coercive control. 
• On average, each coercive control incident involved four distinct controlling behaviours. The most frequently recorded controlling behaviours were:
  • harassment, monitoring or tracking (recorded in 59% of coercive control incidents)
  • threats or intimidation (55%)
  • financial abuse (54%)
  • shaming, degrading, or humiliating (47%).
• Regional NSW recorded a higher rate of coercive control incidents (15.2 per 100,000 over 24 months) compared to Greater Sydney (4.3 per 100,000 over 24 months).
• 60% of coercive control incidents were accompanied by another offence type, most frequently: intimidation or stalking (36%), domestic assault (36%) or sexual assault (13%).
• 95% of victims were women, and 93% of incidents involved a female victim and male alleged offender.
• Nearly half the victims (47%) had a prior history of domestic violence recorded by police, and 31% had previously experienced domestic violence involving the same alleged offender.
• Between July 2024 and June 2026, 42 coercive control charges were laid. Of these:
  • 19 were initiated by NSW Police, and 23 were initiated by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
  • 10 charges had been finalised in court by 30 June 2026: six were withdrawn by the prosecution, and four were proven after a guilty plea
  • The penalties for those with a proven coercive control charge were: two imprisonment orders, one Intensive Correction Order, and one Community Correction Order with supervision.