NSW Police have revealed prisons are “full” of domestic violence offenders, with domestic violence accounting for one in four adult court appearances.

Acting Deputy Commissioner of NSW Police Peter McKenna described domestic violence as the force’s “number one issue”.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: NSW faces deadly weekend of violence

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The comments come after a horror weekend in which three women were killed in separate alleged domestic violence incidents across NSW.

McKenna said the challenge was particularly confronting because none of the three women were previously known to police as victims of domestic violence.

“None of them had AVOs in place and none of them were on our radar,” he said.

‘We need people to speak up’

McKenna urged anyone with concerns about domestic violence to speak up.

“We need people. If they do have any information or any inkling of something occurring, please speak up. Tell someone so that we can do something about it.”

He described domestic violence as a “very complex” issue requiring a whole-of-society response.

The three women, aged 23, 70 and 90, were killed in separate incidents across NSW within about 10 hours on Saturday.

In Bondi, a 90-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death inside her unit, while a 23-year-old woman was fatally stabbed at a home in Kooringal, Wagga Wagga.

A 70-year-old woman was also found dead at a property in the Northern Tablelands after police were called to reports of a domestic violence incident.

Three men have been charged with murder over the deaths. Police allege the victims and accused were known to each other in the respective cases.

The weekend’s violence also included the death of a young boy following an alleged stabbing in the Blue Mountains, with two other children left fighting for life.

Acting Deputy Commissioner of NSW Police Peter McKenna described the weekend as horrific and tragic. Credit: Sunrise

McKenna described the weekend as horrific and tragic.

“Four different, disparate incidents took place, all different to each other, yet all with the same tragic outcome. So a really significant weekend for us and for the community at large,” he said.

NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said the deaths could not be treated as “background noise”.

“These deaths are not isolated. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, a woman was killed every 11 days in 2024-25 by her intimate partner. Even more women lose their lives when you include other family members,” she said.

“Women of every age, from a 23-year-old to a woman in her 90s, are still not safe in their own homes.”

Premier Chris Minns said families were dealing with “unimaginable grief”.

“My thoughts are with the families, loved ones and the communities of the women who have died,” Minns said.

Calls for a broader response

McKenna backed extending custody alerts for domestic violence victim-survivors, which are currently being trialled across three NSW police districts.

The alerts are designed to give victim-survivors more information about an offender’s custody status.

“The more information we can get to victim-survivors out there to keep them safe, that’s always the best thing we can do.”

He said prevention also needed to begin much earlier, pointing to education from a young age.

McKenna also pointed to mental health, intergenerational trauma and education as broader issues that can intersect with domestic violence, while stressing he was not speaking specifically about the weekend’s cases.

His comments come as researchers warn that attitudes towards gender equality are being shaped from a young age, with recent 7NEWS reporting finding the issue goes well beyond social media algorithms.

McKenna said police were taking more action against domestic violence than ever before, but warned the scale of the problem meant they could not tackle it alone.

“Police come to work every single day trying to prevent domestic violence. We’re taking more action than we’ve ever taken.”

He said protecting victim-survivors ultimately required a broader response.

“We are really trying our best to help protect those victim survivors. But we can’t do it alone. And we need everyone to jump in on this space.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, phone 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Crisis Care Helpline on 1800 199 008.