Reports of controlling behaviour to West Midlands Police almost triple during pandemic

It comes as December marked the sixth anniversary of landmark legislation introduced to make coercive or controlling behaviour a criminal offence in England and Wales.

Data published by the Office for National Statistics shows West Midlands Police logged 3,296 allegations of coercive or controlling behaviour during 2020-21.

That was up from 1,221 the year before – and different figures suggest most cases will never reach a courtroom.

Meanwhile, reports to Staffordshire Police rose from 474 to 558 in 20/21.

The county's police force says investigations into such offending are often complex.

They rely on co-operation from the victim, evidence gathered and charging decisions made by the Crown Prosecution Service.

A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "The force recognised that investment was required in specialist training to provide effective safeguarding and investigative response to our victims, and have been working with criminology expert Dr Jane Monckton-Smith.

"Officers work tirelessly to support victims, gather evidence, and do all they can to encourage the CPS that such prosecutions are in the public interest so they can charge offenders where appropriate. We also work alongside a number of partner services who offer specialist advice and further support."

Women's Aid say only a "small minority of survivors" who experience such abuse will see justice done.

The charity has described coercive control, which is punishable by up to five years imprisonment, as a problem "at the heart of almost all domestic abuse".

Abusers can be jailed for subjecting a partner or family member to controlling behaviour such as isolating them, exploiting them financially, depriving them of basic needs, humiliating, frightening or threatening them.

During the first year of the pandemic, 34,000 allegations were reported to forces across England and Wales, with the number of recorded crimes rising by more than a third compared to around 25,000 in 2019-20.

Home Office figures show more than nine in 10 investigations closed nationally in 2020-21 were dropped due to evidential difficulties, while just four per cent resulted in a charge or summons being issued.

A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs' Council said the response to the complex problem had improved in recent years but acknowledged the need for better understanding across the justice system.

He said officers sought to safeguard victims and build cases where reported incidents meet the requirements to be considered a crime but not the threshold for arrest or prosecution.

A Home Office spokeswoman said the Government is acting to tackle the "particularly insidious" form of domestic abuse and will publish its Domestic Abuse Strategy this year.

She said police forces are expected to take allegations seriously, adding: "The increase in reporting of these crimes shows the improvements the police have made, with victims more willing to come forward."

Detective Superintendent Tony Hopkins, from West Midlands Police Public Protection Unit, said: "As we improve the way we record crimes, we find some domestic abuse allegations include an element of coercive control and this is recorded as an additional offence.

"We take reports of this nature very seriously and we continue to train our staff how to spot the signs of coercive control.

"Our Domestic Abuse teams work with a range of other agencies and charities to help victims get the support they need to break free from controlling relationships and make positives steps to improve their lives.

"Some victims may not want to bring a prosecution against their abuser, but they can still talk to us to get help and support."