The number of incidents of domestic abuse being recorded has increased significantly in recent years (see graph below). The majority of the increase has been in standard (lower) risk incidents. The rising trend, in part, is due to national policies to ensure domestic abuse is being recorded properly, but a lot of local work has also been undertaken to encourage victims to come forward and report the incidents and crimes that have occurred against them. National evidence suggests only 21% of incidents are reported to the police by victims.
Source: Wakefield district Community Safety Partnership
In 2016, 22% of all violent crime in Wakefield district was domestic. If national under-reporting levels are representative of the situation locally, then around 7% of adults in the district are likely to have been a victim of domestic abuse in the year to July 2016. This level of prevalence is similar to that measured nationally in surveys (6.1% in 2015/16). In 2016 in Wakefield, 77% of incidents involved a female victim, and 23% involved a male victim.
Other Resources
- The Wakefield Council web site contains details of the different types of support and information available for people who have been affected by domestic abuse.
- Office for National Statistics Statistical Bulletin: Domestic abuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2016