The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Scale of domestic abuse revealed in shock police figures
Officers dealing with 25 calls a day throughout Tayside and Fife
Police receive 25 calls a day on domestic abuse in Tayside and Fife, according to official figures.
The area saw a steeper increase in incidents than Scotland as a whole, with Dundee ranked the second worst part of the country for violence in the home.
The scale of domestic abuse across Scotland has been branded “unacceptable” by Justice Secretary Michael Matheson.
In the wake of yesterday’s shock figures, he faced demands to drop his plans to all but abolish prison sentences of less than a year.
Mr Matheson called for “greater urgency” in the fight against domestic abuse.
“While figures have been relatively stable over the past five years, they remain evidence of the unacceptable levels of domestic abuse in Scotland,” he said.
“We know these figures don’t paint the whole picture, as victims are often too afraid to report abuse. We also know domestic abuse disproportionately affects women.”
There were 58,810 incidents in Scotland in 2016/17, up 1% on the previous year, according to Police Scotland figures.
In Tayside and Fife, there were 9,028 reports – a 1.6% increase on 2015/16.
That growth was driven by an increase in Fife, with Dundee, Angus and Perth & Kinross seeing incidents fall.
Liam Kerr, the Scottish Conservative’s justice spokesman, said: “Instead of getting tough on perpetrators, the SNP wants to abolish jail terms of less than 12 months.
“That would mean domestic abusers – most of whom are jailed for a period within that timeframe – would walk away from court with a conviction, and straight back onto the streets to torment their victim.”
The Scottish Government says a presumption against jail sentences of less than a year will allow a greater focus on rehabilitation, which ministers insist will lead to lower reconviction rates.
Assistant chief constable Nelson Telfer called on domestic violence victims and witnesses to report incidents.
“Domestic abuse is a continuing problem which affects every community across Scotland,” he said.
“The contribution of our partners and communities is key and we remain committed to reducing the harm caused by domestic abuse, and protecting victims remains very much a priority for Police Scotland.”