Number of domestic abuse reports drop at key holiday dates - but arrests are up

On Christmas Day, they received 83 calls – a decrease of 10% from 2023.

On Boxing Day, 102 calls – a decrease of 23% from 2023.

On New Year's Eve, the PSNI received 84 calls – a decrease of 6%.

But on these key festive dates officers made 410 arrests – a 7% increase from the same time period last year (126 have so far resulted in a charge).

In all, police were called 1,228 times about domestic abuse from December 20 to January 2.

In recent years the PSNI and the government has shifted away from talking about domestic violence to talking about domestic abuse, which covers violence but also a litany of non-violent behaviour.

Detective Chief Superintendent Lindsay Fisher, of the Public Protection Branch, said: “It saddens me every year, when Christmas time approaches, that the reality for so many is that it isn’t a happy, enjoyable time for their family.

“Usually we see reports of domestic abuse increase at this time of the year and although this year’s figures are substantially more than the daily average, we are seeing the numbers of reports for the festive period begin to decrease.

“This year however we have seen another increase in successful arrests for domestic abuse offences. We hope this plays some part in giving people continued confidence to recognise and report abusive behaviours to us.

“It must never be forgotten that behind each one of these numbers is a victim who, statistics suggest, has endured up to 35 incidents of abuse before coming forward to report.

“Domestic abuse, in all its forms, has no place in our society and tackling these crimes remains one of Police Service of Northern Ireland’s top priorities.”