Recorded domestic abuse figures show small fall
Incidents of domestic abuse in Scotland fell slightly in 2021-22 while remaining at a high level, according to official statistics released today.
The 64,807 incidents recorded by police were down by 1% compared to the previous year, the first year this figure has shown a decrease since 2015-16.
Of these incidents, 39% included the recording of at least one crime or offence, most frequently common assault (32%), followed by threatening and abusive behaviour (21%) of crimes and offences. Crimes under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 accounted for 4% of offences recorded as part of a domestic abuse incident.
Where gender information was recorded, around four in five incidents of domestic abuse (81%) in 2021-22 had a female victim and a male suspected perpetrator. This increased slightly from 80% in 2020-21. The 31 to 35 years old age group had the highest incident rate for both victims and suspected perpetrators.
A third of incidents (33%) occurred at the weekend, up from 31% in 2020-21; and 89% of all domestic abuse incidents occurred in a home or dwelling.
Justice Secretary Keith Brown commented: "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".