Prosecutors in Tayside and Fife dealt with more domestic abuse charges than anywhere else in Scotland in the last year.
New figures from the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) show domestic abuse and stalking charges are on the rise in the Tayside, Central & Fife sheriffdom.
The news follows revelations in June that Dundee had the most cases per population in the country.
A total of 7,404 domestic abuse-related charges were levelled in the Tayside, Central & Fife jurisdiction in 2020-21, a rise from 6,944 in 2019-20.
Scotland’s highest law officer said lockdown was “particularly difficult and dangerous” for victims of domestic abuse.
In 2020-21, 33,425 charges were reported to COPFS across the country with a domestic abuse indicator which represented a 9% increase from the previous year.
The figures for March during the first coronavirus lockdown were relatively low but this increased from April and May, peaking in June and July at more than 3,300 charges per month before falling in August.
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain QC said: “All staff at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service have worked hard to protect victims during this time by continuing to prepare cases and prosecute offenders where possible.
“The impact of the pandemic on the justice system, particularly the ability to progress criminal trials, has been significant.
“We have been working with partners across the criminal justice system to respond to the challenges and we will continue to do so, with a focus on ensuring cases progress as efficiently as possible during the pandemic recovery.”
At the time the data was extracted, an initial decision had been made to proceed to court with 92% of charges in 2020-21 compared to 85% in 2013- 14.
The number of charges being dealt with by the fiscal service in Dundee rose to 1,735 from 1,285 while reported charges to the Kirkcaldy office increased from 1,464 to 1,490.
Dunfermline saw an increase to 1,099 from 1,028 while reported charges fell in Perth and Forfar.
Overall, 92% of charges reported proceeded to court with breach of the peace related offending accounting for 31% of the cases.
The figures show that the majority of those accused of domestic abuse are men with 36% being aged 31-40 and 31% being aged 21-30.
The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, also referred to as DASA, came into force on April 1 2019 and accounted for 4.7% of all domestic abuse charges reported.
This was a 48% increase from the 2019-20 total of 1,065 charges with a domestic abuse indicator.
The COPFS say that court proceedings were commenced in 95% of the DASA cases reported.
Women’s Aid – Much more work needed
Dr Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, said the report showed the “sheer enormity” of domestic abuse in Scotland and the “increased risk to survivors” posed by the health crisis.
She said: “We remind everyone regularly that Covid does not cause domestic abuse but that it has given perpetrators more tools for controlling and coercing and has made help-seeking so much more difficult for those living with domestic abuse.
“It is also worth noting that the most women do not report to police, so these figures represent only a fraction of what is actually happening in our families and communities.”
She welcomed the “small uptick” in cases being prosecuted, including a rise at the High Court.
However, she added: “It’s also crucial to recognize that this data relates to charges received by the Crown and not to outcomes in cases.
“The massive backlog of cases in the courts that has grown due to the Covid-19 pandemic has brought heightened risk to survivors and we hear from colleagues that many survivors are leaving cases when faced with multi-year waits.
“This is incredibly problematic, and resolution of the backlog is a critical challenge for justice in Scotland.”
She said in relation to Tayside, Fife and Central’s statistics: “Rates can be higher in areas with high amounts of poverty.
“We believe this to be because those with fewer resources are more likely to seek out other ways of getting support – for example, agencies – instead of attempting to leave on their own.
“It’s important not to conflate this with increased prevalence and to recognise that this indicates an increased need for services in the area.”