Record number of domestic abuse offences recorded in Greater Manchester last year

Women's Aid said urgent changes are needed to improve police responses to domestic abuse as many survivors are still hesitant to report it.

Home Office data shows 67,962 domestic abuse related crimes were recorded by Greater Manchester Police in the year to March 2023, up from 64,318 offences the year before and the highest on record.

Of the domestic abuse-related offences last year, 8.8 per cent resulted in a charge or summons.

Police across England and Wales recorded 889,918 domestic abuse crimes last year, a slight increase on the year before and well above pre-pandemic levels.

Looking at the 31 forces that provided data on offence outcomes, just 6.8 per cent of domestic abuse offences resulted in a charge or summons.

Lucy Hadley, head of policy at Women’s Aid, said: "We know from working with survivors that some of the key reasons for not reporting domestic abuse are mistrust in police, especially in survivors being believed, and fears that action won’t be taken to hold the perpetrator accountable and keen women safe.

"The very low proportion of domestic abuse crimes which currently result in arrests and prosecutions, which continues the steep declines we’ve seen since 2016, remains highly concerning."

The figures show there were nearly 51,288 domestic abuse-related prosecutions across England and Wales last year, down from 53,207 in the year ending March 2022.

Ms Hadley added: "Everyone working in our justice system must receive specialist domestic abuse training, which focuses on coercive control, from organisations like Women’s Aid, to better understand the complexities of this crime and the needs of survivors.

"It is only by working together that we can ensure that women and children live in a society in which domestic abuse is no longer tolerated."

The Office for National Statistics crime survey estimates 2.1m people aged 16 years and over in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse last year. Roughly 65 per cent of the victims are believed to be women.

In addition, women were nearly twice as likely to experience non-sexual partner abuse and five times as likely to experience any form of domestic sexual abuse compared to men.

Ellen Miller, interim CEO at Refuge, said demand for the support service's helpline remains incredibly high, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

She said: "It’s vital that we take seriously the very real threat that domestic abuse continues to pose to women throughout the country and recognise it as the serious crime that it is.

"The ONS data shows that there is still a huge misunderstanding about domestic abuse, with 17.5 per cent of victim/survivors reporting that domestic abuse is 'just something that happens'."

She added increased awareness and funding of support services is needed to improve understanding about the crime.

Nationally, 5.1 per cent of people aged 16 to 59 years were estimated to have experienced domestic abuse, down from 6.1 per cent in 2020.

A Home Office spokesperson said the Government has gone "further than ever" in protecting victims.

They said: "We have classified violence against women and girls as a national threat, setting clear expectations for how the police should respond, as well as providing funding for forces to complete specialist domestic abuse training."