Domestic abuse cases running at 16 a day in Edinburgh as reports reach record high

Domestic abuse is now a specific offence under a new law in Scotland

DOMESTIC abuse cases in Edinburgh have reached a record high, according to new figures.

A total of 5,807 incidents were reported to police in the Capital in 2019/19 - an average of 16 a day and the largest number in recorded statistics going back to 2009/10.

Across Scotland, cases were also at a record level of 60,641.

There were 5,807 incidents of domestic abuse reported in Edinburgh in 2018/19

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: "Domestic abuse exacts a terrible toll on victims and often causes much wider harms, such as impacting on children's safety and well-being within the family home.”

He pointed out the figures were for the year before Scotland’s new law making domestic abuse a specific offence came into effect but said its passage in 2018 had raised awareness and encouraged people to report their experiences.

He added: "Domestic abuse is neither acceptable nor inevitable.

“We must work collectively - as parents, friends, co-workers and legislators - to bring an end to this blight on society, address underlying attitudes that enable it to persist, call out those who dismiss or minimise its impact and ensure that perpetrators are dealt with robustly and effectively."

Assistant Chief Constable Duncan Sloan said: "Domestic abuse is a despicable and debilitating crime which continues to affect too many people, families and communities across Scotland.

"We are continually improving our response to domestic abuse, including developing a workplace culture where there is no tolerance for domestic abuse, and maximising the opportunities now available to us to bring abusers to justice.”

But Lothian Conservative MSP Gordon Lindhurst claimed the SNP’s policy of discouraging jail sentences of less than a year may be letting domestic abusers off the hook in the region.

He said: “People across Edinburgh will be shocked to see this major rise in domestic abuse incidents which are now averaging 16 a day and are the highest in at least a decade.

“As domestic abuse charities have pointed out, the decision by Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP Government to effectively abolish jail sentences of less than 12 months risks letting domestic abusers back into the home.”