Thames Valley: Rise In Domestic Abuse Cases

7 March 2014, 00:00

The number of domestic incidents reported to police in the Thames Valley has increased in the last year, according to official figures.

The total number of cases between April 2013 and January 2014 was over 30,000, compared with 29,855 the year before.

Local abuse charities say the rise is partly because victims are feeling more confident about coming forward and seeking help thanks to various awareness campaigns.

Delia Donovan is the Chief Executive of East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire Women's Aid. She says more can always be done to support victims, including proposals to remove the abuser from the family home, rather than the victim and children.

She also says a number of frontline workers (such as police, health workers, teachers etc) are still ignorant when it comes to spotting the warning signs:

"Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and in terms of domestic abuse, I think training and awareness is absolutely fundamental.

"I think it's a massive issue that we still have a lot of frontline workers who cannot spot the signs and symptoms of domestic abuse."

The latest statistics come during Domestic Abuse: In Focus Week, which is running from 4th-8th March. 

Thames Valley Police will be tweeting throughout the week on @ThamesVP using the hashtags #speakouttoday #infocus and #domesticabuse.

Detective Inspector Ivan Reaney from Thames Valley Police said:

“Domestic Abuse is a major issue in our society, with more than 1 in 4 women and more than 1 in 6 men experiencing this type of abuse each year.

“Domestic Abuse also has a significant impact on children who witness it in the family home. For a variety of reasons, many victims do not report domestic incidents.

"Thames Valley Police and our partners want to protect victims from abuse. We would actively encourage victims to come forward to receive the support they need.”

Women's Aid's free helpline number is 0800 0852 654. To report an incident to the police dial 101 or 999 in an emergency.

Number of reported domestic incidents: