Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser has expressed concern as domestic abuse recorded in Perth and Kinross reaches a ten year high. In 2012/13 1,236 cases of domestic abuse were recorded an increase of 74 cases from 2011/12.
Figures also show that the number of domestic abuse incidents has reached a ten year high from 2003-04 where there were 906 reported cases of domestic abuse.
A similar pattern is recorded for Fife and Tayside.
In 2011/12 there were 4,519 reported cases of domestic abuse in Fife but figures for 2012/13 have shown an increase to 4,800 cases. In Tayside there were 4,395 cases of domestic abuse in 2011/12 to 4,915 in 2012/13.
Statistics also reveal that of the 4,800 domestic abuse cases in Fife, 3,674 had reported previous cases of abuse.
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“Police Scotland has placed emphasis on reducing domestic abuse within Scotland, yet despite this, it is on the rise in my region and within Scotland as a whole.
“Many victims are repeat domestic abuse sufferers and we must try to understand why so many people are in violent relationships.
“If someone is being physically abused within the walls of their own home, it is down to us as a society to provide help and support to ensure it stops.
“Domestic abuse blights our society and victims must be confident in the ability of the police to deal with these crimes.
“Having the courage to report domestic abuse is a challenge within itself, therefore removing public counters at police stations essentially reduces the number of avenues open for victims to report these crimes.”