THOUSANDS of people in Swindon report incidents of domestic abuse to Wiltshire Police every year.

New statistics from the force revealed that the number of reports has even risen slightly year-on-year.

Between December 2016 and November 2017, Wiltshire Police received 2,379 reports of domestic abuse in the Swindon area.

This rose by two percent to 2,420 reports between December 2017 and November 2018.

The volume of reports in December 2017 (216) and 2016 (220) were slightly above the average amount for other months, which suggests that Christmas can be a troubling time of year for those in unhealthy relationships.

Supt Deb Smith from Wiltshire Police said: “We would strongly encourage people to report any domestic abuse they’re receiving to the police, either in person, or by calling 101, or calling 999 in an emergency.

“We take all reports of domestic abuse very seriously, all our officers are trained to handle these cases and we have dedicated domestic abuse investigators for the highest-risk cases.

“We have safeguards in place to provide support, advice and guidance to victims, and we work very closely with partner agencies like Women’s Aid, which provides refuge and outreach support to victims and their families.”

Domestic abuse is not limited to violence. Abusive partners can make their loved ones’ lives miserable in a myriad of subtle but devastating ways.

Supt Smith added: “There’s not one single defined type of domestic abuse that can take place.

“There are a number of reasons why people commit domestic abuse and it can manifest in several forms.

“It can be about coercion and control, with abusers wanting to demonstrate power over another person by dictating their movements, or it can be driven by drug and alcohol misuse. There can be financial abuse and emotional abuse, as well as physical and sexual abuse, or stalking if it’s an ex-partner.”

Women or men who have just entered a new relationship and are concerned that their new partner could have convictions for domestic violence on their criminal record are well within their rights to find out.

The police have a Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, also known as Clare’s Law, which involves them disclosing in person these convictions if they feel that the person they are disclosing the information to is at risk.

This service can also be used by concerned friends and family of someone who has just started a new relationship.

If you require further information about the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme or wish to make a request for information under it, call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, on 0808 2000 247, or visit wiltshire.police.uk and search Clare’s Law.