Incidents of domestic abuse recorded by police have increased in North Ayrshire to a three year high, new data has revealed.

Scotland’s Chief Statistician released figures on domestic abuse recorded by Police Scotland in 2018/19.

Mary Beglan, chief officer at North Ayrshire Women’s Aid, said: “I think there are two ways of looking at it.

“One interpretation could be that more incidents are occurring in North Ayrshire or is it that the culture is changing that more people are willing to report with more confidence in the police.

“I think it is too early to conclude at this stage. However worth highlighting and monitoring.”

The figures show an increase of 5.98 per cent in North Ayrshire on the previous year, taking the numbers to the highest since 2016/17.

Police recorded over 1,600 incidents across the region.

However, this is still lower than the peak over the last 10 years between 2014 and 2016 of 134 incidents per 10,000 people.

But it is higher than the Scottish average of 112 incidents per 10,000 head of population.

The police recorded 60,641 incidents of domestic abuse in 2018/19 across the nation, an increase of two per cent compared to the previous year and a ten year high.

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, chair of the North Ayrshire Council Violence Against Women committee, said: “I have spoken to a few organisations on domestic abuse and I have been shocked at the amount of females who have approached me to say they are or have suffered some sort of abuse. Gender inequality is fundamentally a question of power.

“To me it’s an invisible crime because a lot of the time it happens behind closed doors. It’s made me realise that because of this it is extremely hard to measure accurately.”

Assistant Chief Constable Duncan Sloan, lead for major crime and public protection, said: “Domestic abuse is a despicable and debilitating crime which continues to affect too many people, families and communities across Scotland.

“Our officers are making best use of the new domestic abuse offence. I would expect that we will see an increase in the number of crimes recorded going forward, recognising the incidence of coercive and controlling behaviours that are now criminal as a result of the Domestic Abuse Act.

“No-one should live in fear. It is not acceptable, not inevitable, and we believe that by working together, we can make it stop.”

Dr Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid said: “With these figures we must bear in mind that reports to police are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to domestic abuse.

“We know that women are very often reluctant to report for fear of what will happen to them, and to their children. So, while the figure of 60,641 reports is shocking in and of itself, it becomes even more upsetting when you consider it is a fraction of the abuse actually unfolding across Scotland right now.

“Looking at the trend across 10 years, we can see that we have much more work to do when it comes to ending domestic abuse in Scotland.”

“It lies with all of us - police, judiciary, services, individuals and the Government - to change the landscape for women and children experiencing this daily fear, including those who never report it to the police.

“We are proud to be in a country that is working hard to reflect women and children’s experiences, having passed and began implementing a world-leading new law on domestic abuse. However, now is not the time for complacency and we will continue to call for vigilance.”

For anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or those concerned about someone else, help is always available from local Women’s Aid services and from Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline, available 24/7 on 0800 027 1234.