Dumfries & Galloway Domestic Abuse Cases On The Rise

More than 1,000 domestic abuse cases have been recorded by Dumfries and Galloway Police in the last 10 months.

The smallest force in Scotland believes that despite the large number of people reporting incidents there may be many others who are still not doing so.

The figures were revealed ahead of a conference in Dumfries being held to discuss the issue.

Deputy Chief Constable George Graham said it was important to look at ways of tackling the problem.

The figures for the last 10 months are in line with statistics revealed last year.

They showed that almost 1,200 cases had been reported over a 12-month period.

That represented a rise of nearly 70% in the space of seven years.

Police put the increase down to increased confidence in how cases would be handled and more systematic record-keeping.

However, Mr Graham said there was still a great deal of work to be done.

“We know this is a serious issue so we have got a chance to have a reflective period of discussions around where do we think we are, what have we done well and what do we need to do more of,” he said.

“The figures that are quoted to the police are the official figures.

“What we don’t know is there are still a lot of people out there who are suffering and who are not seeking help.”

He said that police were committed – along with a range of other agencies – to find out the true extent of the problem.

“We know that there is still much work for us to do to convince our communities that domestic violence is a crime and that we will not tolerate it,” he said.

“We want to prevent it and we want to protect people who are suffering from it.”