Domestic abuse incidents continue to rise

Domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland rose for the fifth successive year in 2020-21, according to official figures released today.

Police recorded 65,251 incidents, up by 4% compared to the previous year, 40% of which included the recording of at least one crime or offence.

The offence most frequently recorded was common assault, accounting for 32% of all crimes and offences recorded, followed by breach of the peace at 23%. Crimes recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 accounted for 4%.

Where gender information was recorded, four in five incidents of domestic abuse (80%) in 2020-21 had a female victim and a male accused, compared with 82% in 2019-20. The 31-35 age group had the highest incident rate for both victims and accused.

Just over nine in 10 (91%) of all domestic abuse incidents occurred within a home, and 31% at the weekend (down from 34% the previous year).

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison pledged in the Parliament last week that tackling all forms of gender-based violence is a core priority for the Scottish Government.

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