Six domestic abuse charges every day

More than 2300 charges of domestic abuse were recorded last year by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Ayr and Kilmarnock, new figures have revealed.

The date, released by the COPFS last Wednesday, show Ayr on 892 charges with Kilmarnock on 1409.

The figures do not represent individuals, however, only charges which identified an alleged domestic abuser.

This means that a person could potentially have been charged with a variety of domestic abuse offences.

Previous years’s figures were published on a different basis, meaning comparisons cannot be accurately identified. The figures also show that vast majority of charges reported with a domestic abuse identifier are “prosecuted.”

Nationally, the number of charges with a domestic abuse identifier reported to the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service ( COPFS) has remained “relatively steady” at around the 30,000 mark.

However, the figures reveal that the number of charges ( 30,718) reported in 2019/ 20 is the highest number reported since 2015- 16, and is 5.7 per cent higher than the number reported in 2018/ 19. The majority of those accused of domestic abuse are male.

Commenting on the Official National Statistics on Domestic Abuse and Stalking ( 2019/ 20), released by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Dr Marsha Scott, Chief Executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, said: ” There are undoubtedly still lessons to be learned in how the justice system responds to survivors of domestic abuse. We are particularly wary that the current backlog in courts due to the COVID- 19 pandemic is threatening to undo many years of progress on access to justice for those who have experienced domestic abuse and we will continue to work with colleagues from across the justice system to make the necessary improvements in this regard.”