Survey reveals the tip of the iceberg

The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey estimates that up to 113,000 adults experienced psychological or physical partner abuse and another 42,000 experienced both over the previous 12 months. The results are estimates based on self-assessed incidents, but they do suggest a high number of cases go unreported because only a third of that number are recorded by the police.

Last week, Scottish Conservative Justice Spokesman David McLetchie highlighted the tiny percentage of reported cases that result in a prison sentence.

Over 50,000 incidents of domestic abuse were reported last year and yet less than 2% of them resulted in a custodial sentence.

David McLetchie MSP said:

"Last year over 50,000 incidents of domestic abuse were reported to the police, yet only 17% of these lead to convictions, and less than 2% lead to a custodial sentence. We now know that the 50,000 cases reported are the tip of the iceberg and represent only one third of the total. The fall in the reporting of incidents is a worrying trend and suggests that a lot more has to be done to increase public confidence that the justice system is on their side."

"It is disgraceful that so few cases result in prison sentences and many of these perpetrators were given short term sentences of less than 3 months which the Scottish Government is now trying to abolish."

"Zero tolerance of domestic abuse is being let down by zero sentencing. Many women will look to this Parliament and ask if we are really treating violence against women seriously when the perpetrators of violence are let off so lightly?"

"It is wrong that we have women trapped in a vicious cycle of abuse who are given no assistance by a criminal justice system which puts their abusers back in their homes. If we are to restore confidence in the system we must start by properly punishing those who carry out such attacks."

The 2010/11 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey: Partner Abuse is available at

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/12/16145746/0

The estimated number of adults who experienced psychological or physical partner abuse in the 12 months prior to the survey ranges from 84,000 (lower estimate) to 113,000 (higher estimate). The estimated number of adults who experienced both ranges from 26,000 (lower estimate) to 42,000 (higher estimate).

In 2009/10 there were 51,926 incidents of domestic abuse recorded by police:

- In around 20,000 cases nothing happened, with no recording of a crime or an offence

- Of the 32,066 which were recorded only 21,660 were reported to the Procurator Fiscal

- Proceedings were only initiated in 10,259 of these cases meaning 80% of the original recorded crimes have been written off

- 8,837 convictions arose from the prosecutions, only 17% of the originally recorded crime

- In only 949 cases was a custodial sentence imposed, which is less than 2% of the number of incidents originally reported

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