Domestic abuse rose by 29% in Hartlepool during the first pandemic lockdown

Domestic abuse incidents in Hartlepool reported to police from April to June this year rose by 223 incidents, from 764 to 987, compared to the same period in 2019, an increase of 29%

The figures form part of a report from the Hartlepool Community Safety Team, to go before the Safer Hartlepool Partnership on Friday.

Domestic violence has been selected as one of the priority areas to focus on by the team in the draft Community Safety Plan for 2020/21.

The report, drawn up by Tony Hanson, council director of neighbourhood and regulatory services, and Rachel Parker, Community Safety Team leader, noted national increases in domestic abuse, which were reflected in Hartlepool.

They said: “Research conducted by domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid and the BBC’s Panorama programme has identified that UK Police forces received one domestic abuse call every 30 seconds in the first seven weeks of lockdown.”

The highest number of incidents in Hartlepool were reported in May, 355, with 293 reported in April and 339 in June, according to the report.

The rise means the rate of domestic abuse incidents per 1,000 of the population increased from 8.2 to 10.6.

The number of repeat incidents of domestic abuse also rose, from 333 for the same period last year, to 437, a rise of 31%.

This meant the rate of repeat domestic abuse incidents increased from 3.6 to 4.7, with the highest number of repeat incidents also reported in May, 153, with 134 reported in April and 150 in June.

During this period referrals to all specialist domestic violence services provided by Harbour, who provide support for individuals and families affected by abuse, increased by 21% from 634 to 770.

Refuge and supported accommodation referrals also surged from 39 to 127.

Harbour has since adopted a number of new ways of working to continue to support those in need during the Covid-19 pandemic, including some ‘extremely successful’ digital work.

The report said: “The organisation has adopted new ways of working to reach victims of domestic abuse, particularly in response to the increasing number of referrals at the height of lockdown and the inability to carry out face to face and group work with clients.

“One of the innovations has been the introduction of a live chat facility which can be accessed via the Harbour website and means anyone who wants to access Harbour’s services can now do so online, in the evenings and at weekends.

“This has been extremely successful with clients engaging digitally, where they had previously been reluctant to seek support.”

It also notes throughout the second quarter of the year, from July to September, there has been a slight decrease in domestic abuse incidents compared to the same period last year.

In total 926 incidents were reported to police during these months, compared to 944 from July to September last year, a drop of 18 incidents and 2%.

There were also 61 less incidents during the period from July to September, compared to April to June this year, a drop of 6%, meaning the rate of domestic abuse incidents per 1,000 of the population was 9.9 at the end of September.

Incidents also reduced month on month with 322 reported in July, 312 in August and 292 in September.

Although the rate of repeat domestic abuse incidents, compared to the same time last year, increased slightly from 4.3 to 4.4, the number reduced month on month with 144 reported in July, 138 in August and 126 in September.

As part of the ongoing campaign to raise awareness of domestic abuse, officers from the Hartlepool Community Safety Team have been visiting local hair and beauty salons to hand out information on where to access help.

Many salons are now displaying posters to encourage victims of domestic abuse to speak to the police and signposting victims to organisations offering support.

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