Arrests soar as domestic abuse up 7% in lockdown

A FIFTH of all crimes recorded by police during the first national lockdown in England and Wales involved domestic abuse, figures show.

More than a quarter of a million offences were flagged as domestic abuse-related from April to June, the Office for National Statistics said.

The total of 259,324 was up by seven per cent on the same period in 2019, and by 18 per cent on two years ago.

Separate police data also showed a rise of almost a quarter in arrests for domestic abuse-related crimes, compared with the same period last year.

As the number of such offences has been increasing over recent years, a ‘direct’ link to the pandemic could not be determined, the ONS said.

In April, May and June roughly a fifth (21 per cent, 20 per cent and 19 per cent) of offences recorded by police were flagged as domestic abuse-related.

The easing of lockdown measures at this time may have made it safer for victims to seek help, the ONS said.

And the #YouAreNotAlone campaign launched in April may have increased awareness among members of the public to stay alert for signs of abuse. Figures collected from 40 police forces, by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, showed there were 64,283 arrests for domestic abuse-related crimes from April to June. That is a rise of 24 per cent on 2019.

Helen Ross, of the ONS’s centre for crime and justice, said: ‘Data suggests that experiences of domestic abuse may have intensified during the lockdown and that victims faced difficulties in safely seeking support under these conditions.’