A rising number of domestic-violence offenders are using trackers to harass and intimidate their victims, in some cases buying multiple devices to monitor their targets' movements.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
A report from the NSW Crime Commission found there had been a sharp rise in the use of trackers in recent years, including among organised-crime networks to "monitor, locate and ultimately attack their rivals".
Of more than 3100 tracking device customers analysed since 2023, one in four customers had a history of domestic violence, while 126 were subject to an apprehended violence order at the time they bought the items.
The commission, which investigates serious criminal activity and has the power to confiscate assets, noted many of these customers bought a GPS device in the days after an AVO had been imposed.
"(Domestic violence) perpetrators maliciously use tracking devices to gain information about the victim's whereabouts for the purpose of intimidating, stalking, or humiliating them - with many perpetrators making the victim aware they are being tracked," the report released on Tuesday said.
"The commission also reviewed cases where perpetrators used location data from tracking devices to threaten or carry out violence against their partner or their partner's family."
Eight in 10 people charged with unlawful tracking device use since 2010 were also charged with a domestic-violence offence.
Offenders would often use tracking devices to facilitate stalking and surveil their targets.
The report called for tighter controls on GPS tracking devices and recommended their use be factored into bail and AVO conditions to better protect victims.
It pointed to a number of case studies, including one man who bought 15 tracking devices before his victim found three placed on her car and inside her home.
Some private investigators and specialist spy stores were selling the surveillance equipment to DV offenders by marketing the fact their products could be used to monitor intimate partners, the commission found.
It has recommended the government work with industry to build new safety features into GPS devices, including anti-stalking measures.
The investigation uncovered 391 customers deemed "particularly high-risk" that have been referred on to the police and other authorities.
Tracking devices had been used in 15 violent, organised crime-related incidents since 2022, including three murders, three attempted or planned murders, five planned or attempted kidnappings and a drive-by shooting, the commission said.
"(Organised crime networks) generally deploy tracking devices on a target's vehicle days or weeks prior to the planned violent crime to identify their place of residence and monitor their movements," the report said.
"They use location data from tracking devices to devise a plan for where, when and how to carry out the actual offence."
The murders included the 2023 public execution of drug lord Alen Moradian, which the commission said was planned with the help of tracking devices.
An organised crime network learned his home address by placing a tracking device on his wife's car, the report said.
Moradian's death was followed by a string of tit-for-tat gangland shootings across Sydney.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14
Australian Associated Press
