More men go to police to report abuse by partners

But campaigners warn of severe lack of resources to support victims

RECORD numbers of men are reporting domestic abuse by partners as the proportion of women victims turning to police has fallen, official figures reveal.

Of all victims of domestic abuse, the proportion who were men who reported the crime to police rose from 10.4 per cent in 2014-15 to 14.7 per cent this year.

This year, 18.4 per cent of women who suffered in the same way reported the crime, down sharply from 25.8 per cent in 2014-15.

Campaigners said delayed responses by over-stretched police forces to incidents might be giving abusers more time to bully women into not making complaints.

Just over one in 25 men (4.2 per cent) said they had suffered domestic abuse, a similar level to the previous year, according to the figures from the Office for National Statistics. The proportion of women who experienced abuse rose slightly, from 7.5 per cent to 7.9.

The number of recorded domestic abuse offences involving both sexes rose by 23 per cent in a year to almost 600,000. The ONS believed “improved recording” could have played a part.

Mark Brooks, chairman of the Mankind Initiative for male victims of abuse, said: “More men are finding the courage to go to the police, often supported by family, friends and work colleagues.

“The police have thankfully also moved a long way from the stereotypical view of domestic abuse that it was only a crime affecting women. The challenge still remains in ensuring men are referred to local domestic abuse services, and that they are well funded to cope.”

According to the charity, a third of domestic violence victims are male, yet only 0.8 per cent of refuge beds are reserved for men.

The ONS data shows the proportion of complaints resulting in a charge is down from 18.2 per cent of crime reports to 14.7 this year.

Katie Ghose, chief executive of Women’s Aid, said it was shocking that police made only 38 arrests per 100 domestic abuse-related crimes recorded.

She added: “This failure to consistently protect survivors is likely to damage the survivor’s trust in the police.”