Increase in male victims of domestic abuse coming forward in Coventry - via The Briti

West Midlands Police have revealed that more male victims of domestic abuse are coming forward in Coventry.

According to recently released data, the number of reports made by male victims in the city rose from 279 in 2014 to 564 in 2018 showing an increase of 102%.

The Police say that their specialist team who work on tackling domestic violence have seen an increase in reports due to higher confidence in victims but their team have managed to reduce the number of violent incidents by 70%.

Head of the Domestic Abuse Offender Management Unit. Sergeant Bev Cleaver said: "My officers have to be really flexible in their approach: a one system fits all approach won’t work.

"It’s about building trust and, with the support of our partner agencies, working with offenders to find out what are the underlying issues − and how can we best manage those to reduce the risk of offending.

"The management can be quite intensive, with lots of hand holding, regular calls to ensure appointments are met and visits to help them stay on track.

"But of course there are going to be cases of high risk offenders who we can’t manage, whose behaviour we can’t change and who will continue to be a domestic abuse risk; they are violent individuals for whom the criminal justice route, and prison, are the only answer."

The specialist Coventry Police domestic abuse unit is helping protect vulnerable partners from some of the most high risk offenders in the city.

The Domestic Abuse Offender Management Unit currently has around 60 offenders ‘on the books’ who are deemed to present the greatest threat of harm against girlfriends, wives or ex-partners.

All of the 60 or so domestic abuse offenders currently being managed are men but the unit has previously worked to address the behaviour of women offenders.

A seven-strong team works with offenders to identify abuse triggers and, alongside partners including probation, mental health services and substance abuse programmes, identify ways to address the root cause of the problems.

Police also say that they encourage reporting of domestic-related incidents and believe the increase in demand to also be linked to public confidence in police response.

For help and advice on seeking domestic abuse support please visit the West Midlands Police website https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/your-options/ domestic -abuse or call 101 to speak to one of the force’s specialist Public Protection officers.

In Coventry, people can also call the Coventry Domestic Violence & Abuse Partnership at www.safetotalk.org.uk or telephone 0800 035 5309 for help.