Domestic violence figures shocker
Nine incidents every day
EMYLIE HOWIE
Shocking new figures have revealed that there are more than nine incidents of domestic violence in South Lanarkshire every day.
Statistics in a Scottish Government report show there were 3504 incidents of domestic abuse recorded by police in 2018-19.
More than 30 per cent of these incidents involved a crime or offence.
Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey, who is the minister for mental health, said: “No woman or man should ever be the victim of domestic abuse. The perpetrators, who are overwhelmingly male, should know that such behaviour will not be tolerated and that they will be brought to justice.
“In South Lanarkshire, incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police per 10,000 population is below Scotland’s national average, but this is still too high.
“On average, police attend a domestic abuse incident every nine minutes. As a society, we must do more to rid Scotland of this scourge completely.
“The Scottish Government recently introduced world-leading domestic abuse legislation, which came into force after the period these figures cover.
“Scotland is one of a few countries across the world to legislate, not only against physical abuse, but other forms of psychological abuse and coercive, controlling behaviour.
“Scotland’s legislative reforms, together with work to promote healthy relationships and tackle the roots of gender-based violence, can help build a safer Scotland for all.”
Across Scotland, the number of domestic abuse cases rose for the third year in a row to 60,641 – a new all-time high. Around four in every five cases involved a female victim and male perpetrator, and the vast majority occurred in a home setting.
Recorded incidents were higher on a Saturday or Sunday than on any other day – with these two days together accounting for 35 per cent of incidents in 2018-19.
Labour’s Glasgow MSP James Kelly said: “While it is concerning these numbers have risen so dramatically over recent years, it is also a likely reflection of the increasing awareness of these issues.
“With these figures at the levels they are, it’s vital our police forces are properly resourced in order to ensure that they are able to robustly and effectively deal with these cases.
“Given the SNP’s introduction of a presumption against short sentences, which is effectively an abolishment of sentences under a year, it is crucial that proper investment is given to community sentencing alternatives.
“Sadly, most of these rely on local authority support – and the SNP have been starving our councils of cash year-on-year.”