Research: Pilot study into dual reports of domestic abuse (Scotland)

The Scottish Institute for Policing Research has published a research summary of a project by researchers from the The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR).

Oona Brooks and Deborah Kyle, both of the University of Glasgow, carried out research into dual reports of domestic abuse made to the police in Scotland. Their research highlights findings from a pilot study that used Scottish police data to undertake exploratory analysis of dual reports.

Such reports occur when both parties in a relationship are reported to the police as perpetrators of domestic abuse at the same time, meaning both are reported simultaneously as the perpetrator and the victim of domestic abuse.

Dual reports present a particular challenge to both conventional understandings of domestic abuse and the police response to these offences. The pilot study examined the nature of dual report incidents, how common they are, and how the police respond to these incidents.