'We will act to keep them safe' - Domestic abuse reports double

The police force covering Shropshire received almost 4,500 reports in 2013/14, but the figure soared to nearly 11,500 in 2016/17.

Statistics released by West Mercia Police show that reports of domestic abuse incidents have grown year-on-year since 2013. It comes as a Commons report has suggested that proposed new sentencing guidelines for domestic abuse cases could see harsher punishments handed out for the crimes.

There were 4,497 domestic abuse reports to West Mercia Police in 2013/14 and 6,441 the following year. In 2015/16, the figure rose to 10,397 and stood at 11,442 in 2016/17. Over the four years, 7,812 men and 958 women were accused of domestic abuse.

It comes as West Mercia Women’s Aid, a charity which supports domestic abuse victims in Shropshire and the Midlands, has also seen a rise in calls to its helpline.

Star comment: Supporting victims of abuse is vital

Meanwhile, dozens of people who need help from the Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service are stuck on a waiting list.

West Mercia Police Superintendent Tom Harding said that tackling domestic abuse and keeping victims safe was a priority for the police force.

He said: “We have done a great deal of work to ensure that victims of such crimes feel confident to come forward, knowing their complaint will be taken seriously and that we will act to keep them safe.

“We believe that this will be one of the factors behind the increase in the number of incidents reported to us over recent years.

“Domestic abuse is a very serious crime, it is never the fault of the victim and I strongly encourage people to come forward and report it so police can take action, as many abusers rely on silence to continue the abuse.

"Along with our own experienced and specially-trained officers who investigate these offences, we also work in close partnership with other agencies who can also offer support, advice and guidance.

“We ensure that we have the right tools, training and partnerships in place to help support victims when they come forward and to bring offenders to justice.

“We, along with our partners, raise awareness of this crime, running campaigns on domestic abuse and coercive controlling behaviour. Our aim being to ensure victims know how and where to seek advice and support.”

MPs have said there is likely to be some “inflationary” impact on penalties as a result of draft guidance published earlier this year. In March the Sentencing Council published a consultation document setting out proposed new guidelines for courts when determining punishments for individuals convicted of offences involving domestic abuse.

The guidance covers all crimes occurring within a domestic context, such as assault or sexual offences.

Funding call to help the victims of abuse

Calls have been made for funding to be ploughed into services helping victims of domestic abuse, as crimes of this nature spiral.

Figures from West Mercia Police show the force is receiving thousands more domestic abuse reports than it did four years ago.

Services and charities helping victims in Shropshire say they have also seen reports rise and say more funding will help stop victims slipping through the net after police are initially called.

The Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service, which receives funding from Shropshire Council, operates a 10-bed refuge in south Shropshire as well as two smaller refuges elsewhere in the county.

It also operates an outreach service supporting victims within the community in Shropshire, but there are currently 61 families on the waiting list.

The service helped more than 200 people in 2012/13 but it took a dip in referrals in 2015 due to funding cuts and helped 136 people in 2015/16.

Since April, the service has expanded to help victims across the county, rather than only in south Shropshire which was previously the case.

The support service, which operates with 11 paid employees and about half a dozen volunteers, has already supported 250 victims since April.

Wendy Bulman, Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service manager, said: “There has been a rise in calls to police. That’s about awareness raising that you don’t have to accept domestic violence anymore.

“You can pick up the phone and you will be believed.”

She said sometimes victims will call police to get themselves out of immediate danger, but she added: “We need to be giving them the back-up a couple of days later.

“But there aren’t the resources and capacity to pick them all up.

“Some of the biggest gaps are there because there is no money.

“We are fortunate to have funding from the local authority but it needs to be joint commissioning. We get nothing from health but the impact on health is massive. We get a lot more people now with drug, alcohol and mental health issues who have been victims of domestic abuse.

“We are always trying to help them working in partnership with other agencies.”

West Mercia Women’s Aid, a charity which supports domestic abuse victims in Shropshire and the Midlands, says it has also seen a rise in calls to its helpline.

In Shropshire, there were 953 calls in 2013/14 compared to 1,590 in 2016/17.

The charity runs a 24-hour helpline, three refuges and an outreach service.

Sue Coleman, chief executive of West Mercia Women’s Aid, said: “We are not necessarily noticing a great deal of something we weren’t seeing before, just an increase in volume. The changes in legislation and the focus on coercive control has heightened people’s awareness. Police can now charge someone for controlling or coercive behaviour.”

She said the charity mainly received calls from women, but had received a small proportion of calls from men.

Ms Coleman added: “We have been seeing over the past 18 months, particularly in refuge, an increasing number of women whose needs are quite complex, including those whose mental health is poor.”

Prosecutions against domestic abuse offenders in Shropshire have included a man from Telford who was involved in a two-year period of sustained domestic violence and was jailed for 18 months earlier this year. Following a trial, he was convicted of nine offences of assaulting his victim causing her actual bodily harm.

The man had kicked, punched and scratched his victim and had struck her with various household objects.

At least one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

Currently, an emergency call for domestic abuse is made to the police every 30 seconds, according to the Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service website.

Anyone concerned about domestic abuse can call West Mercia Women’s Aid on 0800 783 1359, Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service on 0300 303 1191 or visit shropsdas.org.uk

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Women’s Aid defines domestic abuse as an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or carer.

• West Mercia Women’s Aid says it has seen a rise in calls to its helpline.

• In Shropshire, there were 953 calls in 2013/14 compared to 1,590 in 2016/17.

• The Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service helped more than 200 people in 2012/13 but it took a dip in referrals in 2015 due to funding cuts and helped 136 people in 2015/16.

• There were 4,497 domestic abuse reports to West Mercia Police in 2013/14 and 6,441 the following year.

• In 2015/16, the figure rose to 10,397 and stood at 11,442 in 2016/17.