Police in Moray and Aberdeenshire have welcomed figures that show that instances of domestic abuse fell over the festive period last month.
Patrols were stepped up in the Moray and Aberdeenshire region that held a greater focus on victim safety, perpetrator re-offending and carrying out checks that ensure bail conditions were being adhered to.
Figures released this week show that a total of 77 incidents of domestic abuse were reported to police between December 24 and January 5, a fall of 9% on the numbers for the same period in 2013.
Resulting from these incidents police say that 46 people have so far been charged while officers are expecting that to rise further as their enquiries approach a conclusion in the next few weeks.
DI Fiona Topping from the domestic abuse investigations unit said that between April 1 and December 23 last year 1301 incident were reported – also a significant fall on the 1714 reported in 2013.
She said: “My message to perpetrators of domestic abuse is this – be in no doubt, your actions have consequences for you, your family, your friends and even for your employment.
“It is not acceptable to abuse your partner, to shout at them, hit them or control where they go and who they speak to – and when instances are reported to us we will do all we can with the help of partner agencies to ensure this behaviour stops.”