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Domestic violence incidents increase to six a day in the Highlands according to latest figures


By Ian Duncan

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New figures show that incidents of domestic violence have risen to just over six per day on average in the Highlands.

There were a total of 2387 incidents of domestic abuse across the region which were recorded by police in 2018-19.

There were an average of 6.54 such incidents each day within the council area.

And across Scotland the number of domestic abuse cases rose for the third year in a row to 60,641 which is an all-time high.

Around four in every five cases involved a female victim and male perpetrator and the vast majority occurred in a home setting.

In 2019 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon effectively abolished prison sentences of less than 12 months which provoked a furious response from domestic abuse charities who warned most offences that resulted in jail time tended to involve sentences shorter than a year.

Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain said the Scottish Government's move could make the situation worse.

He said: “It will be very concerning to the people of Highlands that domestic violence appears to be on the rise, with six incidents every day within the council area.

"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.

"I fully support the police as they strive to crack down on perpetrators, but this is undermined by a soft-touch SNP government at the top which wants to let such people walk free from court.”

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