Domestic abuse incidents increase for fifth year in a row in Scotland
Domestic abuse incidents in Scotland have increased for the fifth year in a row, with common assault accounting for almost a third of all offences.
Latest figures from Scotland’s Chief Statistician published on Tuesday (November 30) show police recorded 65,251 incidents of domestic abuse in 2020/21, an increase of four per cent compared with the previous year and the highest level on record.
Forty per cent of domestic abuse incidents recorded by Police Scotland included at least one crime or offence.
The type of crime or offence that was most frequently recorded as part of a domestic abuse incident was common assault, accounting for 32 per cent of all crimes and offences recorded. This was followed by breach of the peace, which made up 23 per cent of crimes and offences. There were also six domestic abuse-related homicides recorded by Police Scotland.
The Chief Statistician said following its enactment on April 1, 2019, crimes recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 accounted for four per cent of crimes and offences recorded as part of a domestic abuse incident in 2020/21.
There were 119 incidents of domestic abuse recorded by Police Scotland per 10,000 population last year. At a local authority level, Dundee City (177), West Dunbartonshire (168) and Clackmannanshire (158) recorded the highest incident rates per 10,000 population.
Where gender information was recorded, four-in-five incidents of domestic abuse (80 per cent) in 2020/21 had a female victim and a male accused. This was down slightly from 82 per cent in the previous year.
The 31 to 35 year age group had the highest incident rate for both victims (282 incidents recorded per 10,000 population) and for the accused (260 incidents recorded per 10,000 population).
Three-in-ten incidents (31 per cent) occurred at the weekend, a slight decrease from 34 per cent in 2019/20.
Just over nine-in-ten (91 per cent) of all domestic abuse incidents occurred in a home or dwelling.