EXCLUSIVE: rise in South Yorkshire domestic abuse incidents for police during lockdown
We're launching a week-long investigation into the problem
Last updated 28th Sep 2020
This morning we're going behind closed doors in lockdown to unveil the shocking rise in domestic abuse across South Yorkshire.
As we launch a week of special reports, we can exclusively reveal police in our county went to a thousand more domestic abuse incidents during the first four months of the restrictions than they did during the same period last year.
Officers attended the scene of 8,537 incidents between 24th March and 31st July this year. That's an average of 65 every single day.
Andrea Bowell's the force's lead for Protecting Vulnerable People:
"What the lockdown has done is played into the hands of domestic abusers. What abuse does is create social isolation - you don't have contact with friends and family and colleagues. Clearly within Covid, that has become significantly more limited.
"We've seen some themes around social distancing and exposing children to risk of infection as a tool to use against victims.
"Traditionally we think of domestic abuse in terms of physical violence but actually it's much much wider than that. What offenders do is use a whole tranche of controlling behaviour."
All this week, we're going behind closed doors to reveal what's happening On The Inside with domestic abuse during a global pandemic and look at what's being done to protect victims.
"The call rate's more than doubled"
National helplines saw a huge spike in calls when the UK went into lockdown back in March. But that wasn't the case in South Yorkshire.
Initially, support services actually saw a fall in referrals because victims still living with their abusers were suddenly locked down with them and it was difficult to access help safely.
But when restrictions started to be lifted, the true scale of the suffering became clear.
Shelley Summers answers calls to IDAS's helpine in Barnsley:
"The call rate's more than doubled. January's usually our busiest month - we usually have just over 200. In July this year we had over 400 referrals in so it has been extremely busy. We're getting referrals in from all sources - a lot of self referrals.
"Once lockdown started easing slightly - so June, July time - that's when our numbers started doubling up and going through the roof.
"And then you've got people who are saying to you, usually on a Friday at 3 o'clock, 'I want to flee. I can't do this.' The thought of another weekend in the house with somebody just tips them over the edge.
"Refuge places are few and far between. During lockdown they've become even more so. We've had people go all the way down and all the way up North. East Sussex, down to Devon and Cornwall, all the way back up to Blackburn and further."
"It did stretch us - it really stretched us"
Domestic abuse charities were given more funding by the government at the start of lockdown. In May, ministers handed out £10 million towards accommodation for those fleeing abuse, part of a £76 million package of support for the most vulnerable in society.
But support servives in South Yorkshire tell us they've still been stretched.
Shelly's been working from home supporting victims:
"They're trusting their safety, and sometimes their lives and that of their children, with us. And that's an enourmous pressure to hold. Especially when you're logging off, you can't always switch off and you do worry about cases. Especially when they're fleeing.
Group Coordinator for IDAS Barnsley, Nick Oates, says it's been tough:
"We have to look after ourself while the cases are trebling. We've got to do it. We came into these jobs to help people and that's what we're here for. But it did stretch us - it really stretched us."
Six months on from the start of lockdown and now a second wave of coronavirus is upon us.
Last week The Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced fresh restrictions to control the virus and warned if they don't work tougher rules could be on the way. He hasn't ruled out another national lockdown.
There are now fears for what that might mean for domestic abuse.
Shelly is bracing herself for more calls:
"If anything, it might actually make it even worse. Because people will have lived through it once and then once you start coming out and life starts getting a little bit normal you can box it off and think 'oh perhaps it isn't that bad'.
"And if we're all in lockdown again, they're going to say 'actually no, I can't do this again.'"
All this week follow our #OnTheInside investigation here on our website, on social media and on air.
You can find information on domestic abuse support here.