Dundee has the worst domestic violence record in Scotland, official figures have revealed.
The city’s residents are more likely to fall victim to abuse from a partner or ex-partner than anywhere else in the country, with 2,525 incidents reported in 2014/15 the highest in the local authority area for a decade.
The figures also reveal that domestic abuse reports have rocketed by 82% in Angus over the past 10 years compared with 32% nationally.
There were 1,703 incidents per 100,000 of the population in Dundee against a national average of 1,120, according to Scottish Government statistics. Fife (1,144) and Angus (1,139) were also above Scotland’s average, while Perth and Kinross (1,027) was slightly below the national figure.
Angus which had 729 incidents recorded in 2005/06, rising to 1,329 last year bucked the trend of rural areas experiencing lower than average rates.
Police and the Scottish Government have attributed the rises in part to increased support, which they say has given victims more confidence in coming forward. Mary Miller, manager of Dundee Women’s Aid, said over the past five years there has been a revolution in the city about how to tackle domestic abuse, which is reflected in the increased reports.
She said Glasgow is further down the road than Dundee in targeting domestic abuse. “The message is getting out there, to perpetrators in Glasgow, that there are consequences to their behaviour,” she said. “We are hopeful that in the next few years in Dundee, yes, we might see rises initially, but the same message will get through here.”
She said she had seen “horrific” incidents of honour-based violence and human trafficking so far this year, as well as women who had been in abusive relationships for up to half a century.
The figures were released as the Scottish Government announced £3m of funding for Assist, which supports victims. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said the sum is on top of £20m announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to tackle violence in the home.
Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick said tackling domestic abuse “has always been and remains a key priority”.