Brown calls for public to report domestic abuse incidents

Keith Brown

Official statistics for 2021-22 released today, show a one per cent fall in the number of domestic abuse incidents recorded by the police. Of these, just over four-in-five had a female victim and a male suspected perpetrator.

It is the first time since the ground-breaking Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act, which criminalised psychological domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour and came into effect in 2019 - that the number of reported incidents has fallen.

However, the most recent results from the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (for 2018-20) estimated that fewer than one-in-five cases of domestic abuse are reported to the police.

Since the launch of the 2018 Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act, Scottish government has introduced a range of measures to create a victim-centred justice system which helps people feel more confident in reporting crimes. This includes:

• Establishing a Domestic Homicide Review taskforce to help prevent homicides in Scotland where domestic abuse is suspected
• Providing £26.5m of funding to courts in 2021-22 to maintain enhanced court capacity, helping to address backlogs
• Introducing new Evidence by Commission suites – to improve the experience of vulnerable victims when providing evidence for court cases.
• Awarding £48m of funding to 23 organisations in Scotland over the next three years, through its Victim-Centred Approach Fund, including £18.5m for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence.
• The 2022-23 Programme for Government also commits to a consultation on new justice powers to tackle misogynistic behaviour, helping to address the root causes of inequalities and men’s violence against women. The Scottish government is also considering the possibility of a specialist sexual offences court to help improve victims’ experience of the justice system.

Mr Brown said: “I am grateful to everyone who has felt able to come forward over the past year to report incidents of domestic abuse to the police. Behind each of these numbers is a story in itself, of months or even years of abuse and control, which is why the Scottish government legislated to give police, prosecutors and the courts greater powers to tackle such crimes.

“While the small drop in the number of domestic abuse incidents reported to the police may be welcome, the reality has always been that figures drawn from police reports represent only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the true extent of violence against women and girls.

“My message to anyone experiencing violence, including coercive and controlling behaviours, is to seek help, advice or support – and where appropriate, report incidents to the police.

“We are continuing to make changes to the justice system to make it easier for people to come forward and report incidents and for perpetrators to be appropriately dealt with – to help realise our vision of a Scotland as a place where women and girls live free of violence and abuse.”