Domestic abuse and sexual offences
Domestic abuse and sexual offences can cause serious long-term physical and emotional harm to victims. Domestic abuse refers to any incident of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been intimate partners or family members. Domestic abuse can include, but is not limited to, psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse. It is difficult to understand the overall picture of domestic abuse, as it is frequently a hidden crime with very high levels of under-reporting.
Domestic flagged crime currently accounts for 13.5% of all recorded crime in Southampton, with the number of domestic flagged crimes increasing by 13.1% compared to the previous year. 31.5% of violent crimes in Southampton were flagged as domestic in 2018/19. The number of domestic flagged violent crimes in the city increased by 15% between 2017/18 and 2018/19.
Sexual offences include rape, sexual assault, unlawful sexual activity against adults and children, sexual grooming and indecent exposure. Southampton has a significantly higher police recorded rate of sexual offences than England and in 2018/19 recorded the third highest rate in its group of fifteen most similar comparator Community Safety Partnerships.
The full report, summary slide set and a data compendium are available below. For more information on crime in Southampton, see the Safe City Strategic Assessment page. A separate health needs assessment on preventing perpetrators of intimate partner abuse in Southampton is also available in the resources section below.