DOMESTIC abusers and sexual offenders have been locked up for a combined total of more than 100 years in this region over the last 12 months.
Violence behind closed doors has been on an alarming upwards trend in Dumfries and Galloway in recent years.
Last year, there were 1741 incidents reported — an increase of 22 percent on the previous year.
But police chief superintendent Steven Meikle has vowed to crack down on offenders committing domestic abuse and sexual crimes.
Speaking at the council’s police, fire and rescue sub committee last week, he said: “Police Scotland’s violence against women and girls strategy sets out to create a society where women and girls live free from violence abuse exploitation and harassment.
“We have excellent relations with partner agencies and also continue to ensure a collective support to those victims of domestic abuse in our communities.
“We continue to work with our partners to improve the services we deliver to the communities we serve.
“In the last 12 months we have secured
convictions and prison sentences of over 100 years for individuals involved in serious domestic abuse and sexual offending.”
Chief superintendent Meikle tabled a police statistics report tabled at last week’s meeting, which provided councillors with a breakdown of crimes committed between April 1 last year and March 31 this year.
There were a total of 17,864 crimes/offences listed for this region.
Lochar Councillor Linda Dorward asked: “You said in the report that non-recent crime accounts for 21 percent of sexual crime? How does this affect the detection rates for recent crime?
“How many of sexual crime and rape offences were committed against women over the past five years?
“And for both of those crime categories what is the conviction rate versus the detection rate over the last five years?”
Mr Meikle responded: “Non-recent crime means any crime which has occurred over 28 days ago. In the Dumfries and Galloway Division our five-year detection rate for rape crimes is 76 percent, which I’m pleased to say this is the highest anywhere in Scotland.
“In respect of how many sexual crimes and rape offences were committed against women over the past five years, I’m not able to provide you with the exact breakdown.
“However it will not come as any surprise for me to say to you that sadly women and girls tend to be the victims of the vast majority of sexual offending.”
