More than 1,300 crimes have been recorded by police under the new domestic abuse offence that covers coercive and controlling behaviours.
Introduced in April 2019, the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act criminalised the conduct used by domestic abusers, creating a single offence which covers the full range of abusive behaviours, whether they are physical, psychological, financial or sexual.
A Police Scotland report revealed that in the period April 1 to December 31, 2019, a total of 1,313 crimes were recorded under the legislation.
Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “Our officers attend around 60,000 domestic abuse incidents every year – an average of one every nine minutes.
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“Domestic abuse has a devastating effect on individuals, on families and on children who are also often victims of these abusive behaviours.
“We are committed to bringing offenders to justice and continually improving how we respond to domestic abuse and work with a wide range of partners to provide support for victims and to improve our response.”
Since December 2018, 18,500 officers and staff have received online training on domestic abuse and the new offence, and 7,500 have received enhanced training in person.
A further 6,500 will receive this face to face training in the coming months.
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