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World Cup to blame for increase in domestic violence cases
Reports of domestic abuse soared during the World Cup - as was feared during a high-profile campaign.
The Safer Portsmouth Partnership's fears that domestic violence would increase during the tournament were realised when calls rose by almost two thirds to 52 from the 32 received in the same period the previous year.
The group - made up of organisations including Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, Portsmouth City Council and Hampshire Constabulary - launched a powerful poster campaign ahead of the World Cup kick-off in June amid fears incidents could rise.
The phrase 'a raised fist doesn't always mean celebrating' was combined with the image of a man sitting on a sofa watching a football match on TV with his arm raised.
The poster featured the details of local crisis line numbers.
The campaign came after figures revealed there were 3,511 reported cases of domestic violence in our area last year - a five per cent hike.
Police say 1,427 of them took place in Portsmouth with 2,084 in the central policing area, covering Fareham, Gosport, and Havant - equal to more than nine a day on average. But experts say the real figure is even higher as many incidents go unreported.
Zoe Jackson, independent domestic violence and sexual violence for Portsmouth City Council's Early Interventions Project, said: 'There was an increase in crisis calls to the service over the World Cup period. That is, clients calling in with an immediate safety issue or where they are in need of immediate support. We know that domestic violence goes up around major sporting events.
'The important message is that if people want to speak to someone there are people they can talk to in confidence to find out their choices, and we will support them to take things at their own pace.'
A raft of measures has been introduced to help tackle domestic violence, including 16 body-worn cameras for Portsmouth police officers which are used to record crucial evidence at the scene of domestic abuse call-outs in the hope of increasing conviction rates.
Despite the increase in reported incidents the arrest rate for domestic violence crimes was 81.8 per cent in Portsmouth and 78.8 per cent in the central policing area last year. That means that from the 3,511 cases reported 2,808 suspects were arrested in connection with the incidents.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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