Campaign launched as training begins

An £825,000 training scheme will help police officers across Scotland deal with some of the more “insidious and damaging” forms of domestic abuse, the justice secretary said.

Humza Yousaf spoke out as Police Scotland began preparing more than 14,000 officers and staff for the introduction in 2019 of new legislation banning controlling and coercive behaviour.

At the same time the force also launched its annual campaign against domestic abuse over the festive period.

While officers typically respond to a call about this every nine minutes, the number increases over the Christmas and New Year period.

Assistant Chief Constable Gillian MacDonald said: “Our new campaign is a warning to offenders. We do not tolerate domestic abuse.

“Any criminal behaviour will be actively investigated by police, including the coercive and controlling behaviours used to exert control over victims.

“We also want to encourage victims to come forward and report all forms of domestic abuse.

“We will thoroughly investigate and provide the necessary support to those who report to us.”

A total of 59,541 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded in 2017-18, an increase of 1% on the previous year.

The new training programme has been developed by Police Scotland and SafeLives, a UK charity committed to eradicating domestic abuse.

Over the next 18 months, more than 14,000 officers and staff will complete a day long face-to-face training session, as well as an online e-learning course.

Ms MacDonald said: “The training will tackle the many myths and misconceptions around domestic abuse that remain common in our communities across Scotland.”