Large increase in domestic abuse in lockdown
431 incidents of abuse recorded in Hinckley and Bosworth area
DOMESTIC abuse in areas of Leicestershire increased by nearly a fifth during lockdown.
Between March and May this year, Leicestershire police recorded 431 domestic abuse crimes in
Hinckley and Bosworth exclusive figures reveal.
That was an increase of 17% compared to the same quarter in 2019, when there were 368 such crimes.
Figures, obtained following a Freedom of Information request, show Hinckley and Bosworth
Borough Council saw the largest increase in Leicestershire.
Blaby and Charnwood followed with an increase of 5%, from 378 domestic abuse crimes between March and May 2019 to 407 during the same months this year, and from 764 to 801 respectively.
Rutland County and Oadby and Wigston saw the opposite trend, with numbers decreasing by 25% and 2% respectively.
Overall, Leicestershire police recorded 5,914 domestic abuse crimes, up by 3% from 5,733.
Across the 35 police forces that have disclosed the information, the number of crimes has increased by 7%, from 136,079 between March and May 2019 to 145,214 between the same quarter this year.
Back in April, the Home Affairs Committee called for a Government domestic abuse strategy, both for lockdown and afterward.
According to the committee, the strategy should combine awareness, prevention, victim support, housing and a criminal justice response, backed by dedicated funding and ministerial leadership.
Launching the report, the chair of the Home Affairs Committee Yvette Cooper said: “We are calling for new emergency funding for support services, new ways for victims to access help through supermarkets and pharmacies, outreach visits to known vulnerable households, support for children and a new guarantee of safe housing for anyone needing to leave their home during lockdown because of abuse.”
According to the report, calls and contacts to helplines increased markedly in April.
In a survey in April, over two-thirds of survivors told the charity Women’s Aid that domestic abuse had escalated under lockdown and 72% said their abuser had more control over their life.
Most service providers told the charity in the same month they are concerned there will be an increase in demand once lockdown measures are lifted.
A combination of challenges in meeting demand and the fact women are less able to escape safely, has meant some services have not been able to accept new referrals – with an increase expected as lockdown eases, twothirds of providers said they were concerned about the increase in demand.
The Home Affairs Committee also heard evidence domestic abuse incidents were becoming more complex and serious, with higher levels of physical violence and coercive control.
Counting Dead Women, a project recording the killing of women by men in the UK, calculated at least 33 women have been killed by men (or where a man is the principal suspect) since the beginning of lockdown on March 23.
Provisional data released at the end of May by the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) showed a 4% increase in domestic abuse, against an overall 25% reduction in recorded crimes.
Not all reported incidents will result in a crime being identified and recorded, and not all abuse will be reported, meaning the increase could be even bigger.
The surge in domestic abuse exacerbated by lockdown rules is a global issue.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported a 60% surge in emergency calls about domestic abuse across European member states in April, compared to a year before.