Wiltshire domestic abuse cases 'more than double' pre-pandemic levels

Cases of domestic abuse in Wiltshire are "more than double" what they were before the Covid pandemic, a charity CEO has claimed.

Claire Marshall, the CEO of FearFree, a charity that works across the South West, said that cases also tend to rise over Christmas and the New Year.

“Whilst many people are looking forward to having some time off work and spending some time with their family, which is how it should be, if you are dealing with abuse at home it’s the opposite because you are going to be in a confined space with your abuser for a couple of weeks, which is very frightening," she said.

Claire explained that the stress and financial pressure of Christmas tend to heighten the tension in abusive households, with alcohol being another contributing factor.

She added: “If you have an abuser inflamed by alcohol, then that can escalate things much quicker, and it can be much more intense and much more serious.”

The CEO also said the number of FearFree referrals hasn’t settled since rocketing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said: “The referrals have really maintained that level. For instance, in Wiltshire, we get anything from 60 to 100 referrals a week, that’s double our pre-pandemic levels.”

According to her, the charity also receives crisis calls from existing clients over the festive period, with some situations escalating to an emergency over Christmas.

Councillor Ian Blair Pilling, cabinet member for public health at Wiltshire Council, said: “If you have experienced domestic abuse or are worried, we have a dedicated support service, FearFree that will be able to help you.

“We work collaboratively with our partners to provide victims and their families who have been impacted by domestic abuse with a range of options to remain safe at home or access suitable alternative safe accommodation and support.

“No one should live in fear and there is information on our website about what domestic abuse looks like, the danger signs, and where you can get help”.

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “Domestic abuse can take many forms including violence, coercive control and harassment and stalking.

“We know that many victims of domestic abuse continue to suffer in silence and that the reports Wiltshire Police receive only represent a small part of the real picture.

We all need to be more vigilant, step up and support those trapped, be that personally or professionally – and we mustn’t shy away from asking the difficult questions.

“It’s also important to stress that victims of domestic abuse are able to access specialist support, without having to report to the police, and if you’re worried about a colleague, friend or loved one you are able to seek advice on their behalf.

“Supporting victims of domestic abuse in the time when they are most vulnerable and need help is a clear priority within my police and crime plan.

We know we cannot eradicate crime completely so we must ensure the services we are funding are delivering for victims when they need it most.”

Detective Chief Inspector Gemma Vinton said: “Over the last 12 months we have seen a slight decrease in the number of domestic abuse crimes reported to us, but they are still higher than the number we saw before pre-covid.

“This type of abuse is never acceptable and we encourage anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse to report to us – we will take the report of your crime very seriously and you can have confidence in us that it will be dealt with robustly.”

Anyone with concerns can contact FearFree on 01225 775276 or the Wiltshire out-of-hours helpline on 01225 712880.

Credit: Jessica Moriarty, Local Democracy Reporting Service.