New figures have revealed that 2,387 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded by the police in Highland in 2018-19. This contrasts with a figure of just 879 in 2009-10.
Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron said: “It will worry people across Highland that incidents of domestic violence appear to have trebled here in less than a decade with, on average, more than six a day across the Highland Council area."
“This rise comes at a time when the SNP Government has effectively abolished jail sentences of less than a year.”
The Scottish Conservative MSP added: “I fully support the police as they strive to deal with this rise in numbers but, as we know, they are being placed under increasing pressure all the time due to a lack of resources. I fear that their efforts stand to be undermined by a soft-touch SNP government which seems content to allow such offenders to walk free from court.”
HCUA Comment:
The breakdown in social cohesion in Scotland is visible in our homes, our schools, our communities. The SNP has consistently underfunded policing, justice and prisons and cut funds to the local authorities that have to deal with consequences of the disastrous SNP policies nationally. Sturgeon and her cabal of failed, incompetent ministers are seeking to blame anyone and everyone other than themselves for these problems, but the reality is that after more than a decade of SNP mismanagement, the SNP cannot continue to hide behind fake news and nationalist propaganda.
Across Scotland, the number of domestic abuse cases rose for the third year in a row to 60,641, a new all-time high. Around four in every five cases involved a female victim and male perpetrator, and the vast majority occurred in a home setting.
In 2019, Nicola Sturgeon effectively abolished prison sentences of less than 12 months. That provoked a furious response from domestic abuse charities, who warned most offences that resulted in jail time tended to involve sentences of that length.
To see the full report, visit:
The SNP passed a presumption against short sentences in June 2019:
