Victims encouraged to seek support as domestic abuse stats published

Whilst significant decreases have been seen in the number of domestic abuse related crimes and incidents recorded, Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson and Wiltshire Police are urging victims to not suffer in silence and seek help and support.

A decrease of 16.2% has been seen over the past year in domestic abuse related crimes and incidents, with reports dropping from 14,620 to 12,246 when compared to the previous 12 months. This mirrors the decrease in domestic abuse related crimes which saw a decrease of more than 1,000 crimes compared to the previous 12 months equating to a reduction of 14.4%.

Not all reports will equate to a crime and some crimes may incorporate multiple incidents which explains the difference between crimes and incidents and recorded crime.

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “Significant progress has been made by Wiltshire Police in the past year to improve the service that victims receive and robustly investigate reports to reduce repeat victimisation and ensure that offenders are caught as early as possible.

“Whilst I’m reassured to see a reduction in recorded crime and increase in successful prosecutions locally, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure women and girls feel safe within their communities.

“Specialist support is available to perpetrators to break the cycle of abuse and change their behaviour before they cause further harm, as well as the victim support services commissioned by my office to support those affected by domestic abuse.

“This support can be accessed without having to make a report to the police, and if you're worried about a colleague, friend or loved one you are able to seek advice on their behalf.”

Arrest rates remain good

Wiltshire also has a good arrest and prosecution rate in relation to domestic abuse offences, with an 80% conviction rate – higher than the national average.

DCI Lucy Thorne, Wiltshire Police VAWG Lead, said: “The figures are positive, but we recognize there is a long way to go. We know that domestic abuse is an under-reported crime for women and men, and we are working to improve our response to breaking down barriers for those affected to reporting to us.

“Domestic Abuse (DA) offences amount for around 16% of all crimes reported to Wiltshire Police. It’s vital we take seriously the very real threat that domestic abuse continues to pose to women throughout the county.

“This week, as part of the 16 days of action, we have joined together with partner agencies such as FearFree, Paragon (Swindon Women’s Aid) and local councils to highlight some of the ways in which we are working together to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG).

“The Government has pledged to halving VAWG in the next 10 years and Wiltshire Police is absolutely committed to doing all we can to prevent and prosecute those perpetrators of VAWG in the hope that we can prevent any future female suffering from male violence and supporting those who have already experienced the trauma of these devastating crimes.

"We have upskilled the whole of Wiltshire Police staff and officers in spotting domestic abuse, and provided additional training around DA in rural communities as we know there are different barriers in different communities to reporting. We are dedicated to ensuring that our police force continues to improve as we regularly review our training around how we deal with perpetrators of domestic abuse and those affected by this crime.

"We want anyone that experiences domestic abuse in Wiltshire to know you're not alone. We want you to report to us, and we want to offer you support. If you don't want to report to the police please reach out to one of our partner agencies."

This week, partners in Wiltshire and Swindon joined together to launch the 16 Days of Action campaign to raise awareness of the signs of domestic abuse and stalking.