Domestic abuse reports soar by a fifth in a year

REPORTS of domestic violence in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands have rocketed by almost 20 per cent in the last year.

But at the same time convictions have fallen, with more cases dropped for fear of reprisal.

West Midlands Police revealed that 22,352 victims reported a domestic violence crime to officers in 2016, compared to 18,983 the year before.

Yet 4,705 cases did not reach the courts last year because of a lack of evidence, up from 4,672 the previous year.

There was also been a five per cent increase in cases where victims come forward but then withdraw evidence.

Nationally, statistics show a third of UK victims refused to press charges in 2016, and 100,000 cases were dropped because of a lack of evidence. Birming- ham law firm Simpson Millar obtained the figures through Freedom of Information requests.

Emma Pearmaine, director of family services, said: “We cannot ignore the fact that a significant number of domestic violence crimes do not result in a charge. This is often due to a lack of evidence or a lack of support from the victim, who may feel unable to provide this kind of support.

“Victims are often either unable to provide evidence about their abuse, or decide to withdraw what evidence because they feel coming forward will put themselves and family members at significant risk of serious harm. More resources are needed to identify alternative ways of collecting evidence and building a case against abusers without putting the victim at risk.”