Lockdown sees huge rise in domestic abuse calls

Thursday 18 June 2020

The number of reported domestic abuse incidents in Guernsey rose by 51% during lockdown, compared to the same period last year.

The stats have been released in response to Rule 14 questions, put to Home Affairs by Deputy Jennifer Merrett.

They show that emergency calls for domestic disturbances nearly doubled in both April and May, when Guernsey residents were following the 'stay at home message'.

"The outbreak of corona virus in itself has not caused an increase in domestic abuse, but the unique circumstances and stresses this created in families has made more victims come froward and may have also brought some cases to the attention of services that were previously going unaddressed," a spokesperson for Home Affairs said.

Pictured: Safer works to support victims of domestic abuse.

As a result, Safer - the island's charity for domestic abuse victims - has seen a significant increase in referrals over the past few months and the number of adults in emergency accommodation has risen from 25 between March and May 2019 to 38 during the same period in 2020.

Additional emergency refuge services had to be made available during lockdown and are being partly funded by Home Affairs, in partnership with Employment & Social Security.

"The demand for this [funding] may continue as we emerge out of lockdown, as it is likely that the reporting of domestic incidents will rise as victims have more freedom to seek help," the HA spokesperson explained.

"At this stage funding for the additional provision has been absorbed within existing budgets and individuals requiring emergency accommodation are generally able to contribute to this cost through income support benefits. If the demand for additional accommodation persists it will likely be necessary for the Policy & Resources Committee to release funding for this essential need."

Similarly, the Independent Domestic Violence Advisory Service, which deals with high risk cases, also saw a jump in new referrals between March and May, with 37 in 2019 and 45 in 2020. Many more referrals are expected in the coming months as lockdown restrictions continue to relax.

Pictured: Home Affairs said Bailiwick Law Enforcement had not been overwhelmed by the increase in demand.

Meanwhile, the Sarnia Programme has been able to restart its work with domestic abuse perpetrators this month, as lockdown restrictions ease.

"Programme work was placed on hold [in March] and resources were switched to maintaining safety with clients during the lockdown period - a period of time that had the potential to significantly increase risk in relation to Sarnia Programme perpetrators," the HA spokesperson said. "This interruption to work was unavoidable, as treatment work is not safe to complete remotely without controls being available regarding environment, confidentiality, and victim accessibility."

Although group work has been able to recommence, caseloads are currently being capped at 14 despite the demand being much higher.

Bailiwick Law Enforcement claims to have coped with the increase in demand well, with enough capacity to respond to each domestic incident and investigate any associated crimes.

"In line with the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice, which advises that forces should have a dedicated team with specialist knowledge within the Public Protection Unit, BLE are taking steps to look at putting in place a Domestic Violence Advisor to be responsible for developing and enhancing sustainable domestic abuse service provision across law enforcement," the HA spokesperson added in response to Deputy Merrett.

"The opportunity to progress this is now more difficult due to the recruitment freeze across public services, however the Head of Law Enforcement is looking into alternative methods to resource this area."

The Rule 14 questions and responses can be read in full here.