Incidents of domestic abuse recorded by police have increased in South Ayrshire for the third year in a row, new data has revealed.

Scotland’s Chief Statistician released figures on domestic abuse recorded by Police Scotland in 2018/19, last week.

Angie McPike, founder of Ayrshire Women’s Hub in Ayr, said: “Domestic violence is always there.

“It’s difficult to look at the stats and say it’s getting worse.

“With the new law, more incidents are possibly being defined more accurately as domestic.

“Others could be feeling the confidence to report from seeing other convictions.”

The figures show an increase of 4.4 per cent in South Ayrshire on the previous year, taking the numbers to a three year high.

Police recorded approximately 1,000 incidents across the region.

However, this is still lower than the peak over the last ten years between 2014 and 2016 of 115 incidents per 10,000 people.

And it is lower than the Scottish average of 112 incidents per 10,000 head of population.

The police recorded 60, 641 incidents of domestic abuse in 2018/19 across the nation, an increase of two per cent compared to the previous year and a ten year high.

Last month, South Ayrshire Council became the first in Europe to offer additional leave to victims of domestic abuse.

The new Safe Leave policy, inspired by New Zealand’s Domestic Violence Victims Protection Bill, gives employees paid time off to get the help and support they need for themselves and their families.

Domestic abuse survivor, Elizabeth, 26, said a safe leave policy would have made a huge difference to her when she was working up to leave an abusive relationship.

She said: “At times I thought I might lose my job as I needed time off to make arrangements to get away from the abuse I experienced and then to actually leave my home, and a safe leave policy would have taken away a lot of that stress and pressure.”

Assistant Chief Constable Duncan Sloan, lead for major crime and public protection, said: “Domestic abuse is a despicable and debilitating crime which continues to affect too many people, families and communities across Scotland.

“Our officers are making best use of the new domestic abuse offence. I would expect that we will see an increase in the number of crimes recorded going forward, recognising the incidence of coercive and controlling behaviours that are now criminal as a result of the Domestic Abuse Act.

“No-one should live in fear. It is not acceptable, not inevitable, and we believe that by working together, we can make it stop.”

Dr Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid said: “With these figures we must bear in mind that reports to police are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to domestic abuse.

“We know that women are very often reluctant to report for fear of what will happen to them, and to their children. So, while the figure of 60,641 reports is shocking in and of itself, it becomes even more upsetting when you consider it is a fraction of the abuse actually unfolding across Scotland right now.

“Looking at the trend across ten years, we can see that we have much more work to do when it comes to ending domestic abuse in Scotland. It lies with all of us - police, judiciary, services, individuals and the Government - to change the landscape for women and children experiencing this daily fear, including those who never report it to the police.

“We are proud to be in a country that is working hard to reflect women and children’s experiences, having passed and began implementing a world-leading new law on domestic abuse. However, now is not the time for complacency and we will continue to call for vigilance.”

For anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or those concerned about someone else, help is always available from local Women’s Aid services and from Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline, available 24/7 on 0800 027 1234.