New figures have revealed that 4,587 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded by the police in North Lanarkshire in 2017-18. It means there are now 13 incidents each day within the council area.
The rise comes at a time when the SNP are planning to abolish jail sentences of less than a year – risking domestic abusers being let off the hook. Across Scotland, the number of domestic abuse cases rose 1 per cent for the second year in a row to 59,541. Around four in every five cases involved a female victim and male perpetrator, and the vast majority occurred in a home setting.
In her Programme for Government in 2017, Nicola Sturgeon said she wanted to abolish prison sentences of less than 12 months. That provoked a furious response from domestic abuse charities, who warned most offences that resulted in jail time tended to involve sentences of that length.
Graham Simpson, Scottish Conservative MSP, for Central Region, said: “It will be very concerning to the people of North Lanarkshire that domestic violence appears to be on the rise, with 4,587 incidents of domestic abuse. This is 13 incidents every day within the council area – a staggering number.
“As domestic abuse charities have pointed out, Nicola Sturgeon’s plan to abolish short prison sentences could result in abusers being let straight back into homes.
“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.
