The PSNI in Mid and East Antrim has dealt with 1,800 domestic violence crimes during the past year.
A total of 470 victims were male, an online meeting of Mid and East Antrim Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) on Wednesday evening, was told.
“Domestic abuse is our number one area in terms of volume for calls for police at the moment,” an officer said.
“Officers will go out and deal with the incident. If a crime has been committed, the perpetrator will be arrested to mitigate any further risk and allow us to investigate.
“In Mid and East Antrim, we are leading the way in terms of outcomes. Over the past year, 37 per cent of people who were perpetrators of domestic violence were brought before the courts.”
Lindsay Harris, interim CEO of Onus Training, reported “spikes” in incidents during July and Christmas, when she said, there is “more opportunity when people are at home and alcohol involved”.
“It does not cause people to abuse but where there is alcohol and abuse, it can be quite a dangerous combination,” she said.
Onus offers specialist training and consultancy services to businesses, churches and communities to support victims of domestic violence or abuse.
Lindsay reported that one in four women and one in seven men have experienced domestic violence either from a partner or family member.
One in four lesbian or bisexual women and four in ten gay or bisexual men have experienced domestic abuse.
Of 32,763 incidents of domestic abuse reported to PSNI in Northern Ireland, during a recent 12-month period, 38 per cent were carried out by a former partner, 24 per cent by a current partner and 24 per cent through a parent/child relationship.
During the last financial year until the end of March, sexual abuse crime accounted for almost four per cent of all police recorded crime with one recorded every two hours. There were 4,090 sexual offences, 1,181 rapes, 2,909 others.
Seventy-five per cent of victims were female. Fifty-six per cent were under the age of 18. Thirteen per cent of offenders were aged between 18 and 24 years.
Lindsay said: “It can happen to anybody. It does not matter religious or cultural background, sexual or gender identity.”
She went on to say the point of separation can be a “very dangerous time for someone if they are trying to come out of a relationship characterised by high levels of coercive control”.
Commenting on abuse in a parent/child relationship, Lindsay said this can be “something of a last taboo when it comes to domestic abuse”.
“A lot of family members do not recognise that they can be victims of domestic abuse in that way.
“It is very important that we aim to reach every single person who may be impacted by domestic or sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is even more under-reported.”
Lindsay went on to say that the ‘Netflix’s ‘Baby Reindeer’ series had “staggering success” in reaching male victims.
“There are people out there who are living with the impact of domestic or sexual abuse who can live with it for some time before they tell someone. We want to make sure people living with abuse get the support they need at the earliest opportunity, “she stressed.
“The vast majority will disclose to somebody they know. The best response is I know where you can get support for that.”
Lindsay added there are almost 2,000 designated ‘Safe Place’ organisations across the island of Ireland. “The message is you will never be on your own if you are experiencing abuse,” she stated.
The Safe Place initiative was launched by Onus in 2011. Since then, more than 1,700 organisations, including 250 in Mid and East Antrim, have registered as a Safe Place. These include businesses, organisations, churches, schools or community groups.
There are 75 ‘Safe Employers’ in Mid and East Antrim including the borough council. Safe Employers ensure employees know their workplace is a safe place to access support.
Rhonda, from Men’s Advisory Project, said that one in seven males will experience abuse and domestic abuse in their lifetime.
With regard to childhood sexual abuse, she said:
“Quite often you will see people who have other problems because of the trauma they have faced.”
She reported that the organisation supported 1,011 abused men in 2023. Of these, 68 per cent were heterosexual men, nine per cent, gay or bisexual, 23 per cent were facing abuse from a family member.
She noted that Men’s Advisory Project had not seen a great deal of abuse between family members prior to the Covid pandemic. “It is a really dangerous element of abuse,” she added.
She said that since 2020, ten males have lost their lives to domestic abuse.
“We find, from the men we work with, they under-estimate the risk they are under especially if there is a family member or female involved. Men tell us they feel shame and embarrassment and they want the abuse to stop. They have tried to tell someone but quite often other men have not had that experience.”
She stressed that familial abuse which can be viewed as “fighting between brothers” for example, should not be ignored.
When asked about online abuse, she spoke of victims’ experiencing “catfishing” partners or ex-partners through fake online profiles.
“We see that happening when people try to end relationships or try to put boundaries in place,” she explained.
Lindsay added: “Sexual abuse may not be physical but virtual, that threat of sharing intimate pictures.”
She also warned of technology that can be used in the home to abuse such as “alarm clocks” designed as a recording device with a camera or a Smart TV app to record.
She described Northern Ireland’s domestic abuse and sexual violence statistics as “quite horrifying”.
She also noted: “We still have paramilitaries. They are still a threat in some communities. Essentially, that is community coercive control.”