Express & Star comment: Domestic abuse at worrying levels

This has come as no surprise to police chiefs across the country, who announced at the start of the lockdown that domestic violence was a key concern. People being forced to spend more time together behind closed doors has increased the risk of abuse, leading to devastating consequences.

One Midlands police force dealt with more than 4,000 cases in the first month of lockdown, a staggering figure which officials believe is likely to be a record. Yet only a tiny fraction of those cases resulted in a suspect being charged. The low number of prosecutions has little to do with police procedures, which have improved dramatically in recent years in terms of the levels of support given to victims. The sad fact is that many victims are unwilling to continue prosecutions against partners or ex-partners.

This can happen for a variety of reasons. Tragically, a lot of the time victims are petrified of the consequences.

Understandably, they worry about the impact on their children’s lives. They often feel intimidated and fear further violence if they press charges.

Domestic violence has always been one of the most difficult crimes to prosecute, even though our police forces have done their level best to make it as straightforward as possible for victims to come forward.

The Domestic Violence Bill, which has just passed its final stage in the House of Commons, could not come at a more opportune time.

Not only does it offer better protection for victims and their children, it also – for the first time – gives a water-tight legal government definition of the crime. This section – which includes economic abuse and coercive or controlling non-physical behaviour – should help smooth the path towards more successful prosecutions.

Anyone can suffer domestic abuse.

We should not forget that although the majority of victims who come forward are women, each week there are also thousands of male victims. It is time we shone a light on this heinous crime.