Police are called to at least five incidents of domestic abuse every single day in Renfrewshire as its revealed household violence is rocketing.
Data, obtained by the Paisley Daily Express, shows police officers attended 901 incidents between April 1 and August 31, 2024. It means complaints of domestic abuse have increased by 11 per cent in the space of a year.
Police Scotland – which has described the figures as abhorrent – has now launched a campaign urging young men in the area to reflect on their behaviour and for women to recognise the many forms of abuse.
Assistant chief constable (ACC) Steve Johnson, executive lead for major crime, public protection and local crime, said: “Domestic abuse continues to be a problem within our society.
“Domestic abuse is a crime that remains hidden behind closed doors but we are committed to tackling it. The psychological harm that domestic abuse inflicts can be long lasting and wide ranging on not just victims, but also children and other family members.
“Our focus remains on sensitively and thoroughly investigating incidents reported but we also want to see a reduction in offending, which is why we are launching our latest domestic abuse campaign.”
The campaign, which has launched on digital platforms, features a young man and woman taking part in a Mr and Mrs type quiz in which it becomes apparent that she must ask for permission to go out and that he is likely to lose his temper.
The video, police say, aims to show young people how an exciting new relationship can turn into abuse.
ACC Johnson added: “We are fully aware that women can be abusers too, however, our figures year on year consistently highlight that over 80 per cent of incidents reported to us involve a male perpetrator and so our focus remains on reducing offending by men.
“With this campaign, we are looking to influence those in the younger age brackets to realise what isn’t acceptable in a healthy relationship and encourage them to change their behaviour at an early stage and therefore prevent abusive behaviours developing.”
The Crown Office and Public Prosecutions Service is also behind the campaign and highlighted a number of high-profile convictions of young men found guilty of domestic abuse.
The team pointed to the conviction of Charles Fyfe Morrison. The 27-year-old from Paisley was sentenced in July in relation to numerous offences against two females over the course of a four-year period.
He was given a nine-year extended sentence, which included seven years in custody, a non-harassment order for 15 years and has been added to the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period.
Dr Emma Forbes, procurator fiscal for domestic abuse, commented: “I would urge every victim of domestic abuse not to suffer in silence but to report it. You will be listened to and supported as we seek to secure justice.”
Official data, released by the Scottish Government last month, shows 39 per cent of incidents police attend result in at least one crime being recorded.
In the first six months of the financial year, there were 112 incidents of domestic violence per 100,000 of population which is largely in line with the Scottish average.
Police are also urging men who have recognised abusive behaviour in themselves to reach out to the Respect charity, which aims to change both their outlook and harmful behaviours.
Jo Todd CBE, CEO of Respect, said: “We’re delighted to be part of Police Scotland’s new campaign that raises awareness of abusive and controlling behaviour.
“To tackle domestic abuse, we need to address the root cause and ensure that perpetrators are stopped, held to account and given the chance to change where appropriate.”
Anyone who is concerned about their behaviour can call the Respect phoneline on 0808 8024040 or, for more information, visit respectphoneline.org.uk/choosetostop
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