More than 20 people per day – most of them women – are suffering domestic abuse across the north and north east, according to the latest Scottish Government figures.
Nationally, more than 60,000 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded by police in 2018-19, marking a 2% increase on 2017-18 (59,541).
The government describes this as “relatively stable since 2011-12, with around 58,000 to 61,000 incidents a year”.
In 2008-09 the figure was 53,931.
Aberdeen City’s figures in the past decade have remained broadly stable at around 2,400, but other north areas have not fared so well.
Aberdeenshire domestic abuse incidents rose from 584 to 1,497 while Moray’s rose from 389 to 803 over the past ten years.
Incidents in the Northern and Western Isles also showed double figure increases.
But in Highland the figures have jumped by 1,508 from 879 ten years ago to 2,387 last year, prompting an angry response from opposition MPs.
They called the six domestic violence incidents a day ‘very concerning’ and blamed the Scottish Government’s ‘soft touch’ abolition of prison sentences under 12 months.
Highlands and Islands MSP, Edward Mountain said: “It will be very concerning to the people of Highlands that domestic violence appears to be on the rise.
“As domestic abuse charities have pointed out, Nicola Sturgeon’s abolition of short prison sentences could result in abusers being let straight back into homes. That is unacceptable.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Short prison sentences have not been abolished – courts, which are independent, remain free to impose custodial sentences if that is the only appropriate way to deal with individual offenders.
“Our new laws to tackle domestic abuse enable both physical and psychological abuse to be prosecuted as a single offence, with prison sentences of up to 14 years.
“The legislation also requires courts to consider imposing non-harassment orders on domestic abuse offenders to protect victims.”
Scottish Conservative Highland MSP Donald Cameron said he fully supported the police as they strive to deal with the rise in numbers.
He said: “As we know they are being placed under increasing pressure all the time due to lack of resources.”
Detective Inspector Craig Thomson of the Highland & Islands Public Protection Unit, attributed the increase to robust recording processes and staff training.
He said: “Significant partnership work has been undertaken in recent years across the Highlands & islands.
“This has raised, and continues to raise, the awareness of various types of domestic abuse, as well as recent changes in legislation, and therefore we would expect this to lead to a rise in recorded domestic abuse.”
