Tayside Police are urging victims of domestic violence not to suffer in silence, after officers dealt with 40 separate disturbances in homes across the region on New Year’s Day alone.
Figures released to The Courier show that the force was called to 17 incidents in Dundee, 15 in Angus and eight in Perth and Kinross, with alcohol said to be a “significant contributory factor” in the “vast majority” of cases.
A large number of people appeared at courts across the region this week, having spent the weekend in jail following alleged assaults on a day where police traditionally deal with a heightened number of domestic abuse cases.
These included a spate of incidents in eastern Angus, in which a 35-year-old man admitted punching his wife and kicking her phone out of her hand when she tried to call the police at the home they shared in Arbroath.
A Montrose man injured his partner by repeatedly pushing her and seizing her by the clothing, while another woman in the town was seized by the throat and punched on the head by her boyfriend.
A police spokeswoman confirmed that, while officers in Tayside deal with a large number of domestic incidents every weekend, they had been called to an “increased” number of cases throughout New Year’s Day.
She said, “We treat all cases of domestic violence as a serious crime and we realise that reporting domestic abuse is often both difficult and traumatic.
“If you are a victim, we will do everything we can to support you.”
She added, “There are a number of partner and support agencies in the Tayside area who can provide help and advice to victims of domestic abuse.”
Angus Women’s Aid, based in Arbroath where many of the incidents occurred, said that staff have continued to be inundated by women “desperate for refuge” from violent partners.
The organisation’s Anne Brown said anyone trying to escape an abusive partner should be “congratulated” for their courage.Alcohol ‘escalates’ violenceShe said, “I’m not surprised at these figures in fact, I almost expected them to be higher.
“For the first time in over a decade, we’ve had women coming to us on both Christmas Eve and Hogmanay and today already we’ve had three referrals.”
She added, “It’s important to remember that alcohol does not cause violence, it simply escalates it. Show me a house on New Year’s Day which doesn’t have alcohol in it.”
Meanwhile, cases of domestic violence or abuse in Fife are expected to have risen sharply over the festive season, although police have warned offenders they will not escape the full force of the law.
Last year saw 715 incidents reported between December 1 and January 31 that were classed as “domestic.”
The most recent statistics for 2010/11 suggested there had been 194 calls to the police from December 1 up until just before Christmas.
Although figures for the all-important Christmas to New Year period are not expected to be available until the end of the week, Fife Constabulary and its partners believe the festive period will almost certainly have brought about an increase in cases.
Fife procurator fiscal David Green tried to reassure victims.
He said, “The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service take cases of domestic abuse extremely seriously and we work closely with the police and other partner agencies to ensure that such cases are dealt with efficiently and professionally.
“Where there is sufficient evidence, perpetrators can expect to be prosecuted in the sheriff court, have their applications for bail opposed, or special conditions of bail imposed.”
Mr Green added that domestic abuse cases in Dunfermline Sheriff Court are now dealt with in a dedicated domestic abuse court.
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user Janine.