The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is receiving a monthly average of 100-plus allegations of domestic abuse involving coercive control.
The behaviour was outlawed when the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 came into force last February. More than 170 perpetrators have been charged to date.
Detective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher said: “Statistics suggest that it takes, on average, 35 incidents before a victim will come forward and report to police.”
The PSNI added: “Police know that these coercive control behaviours often escalate and they are concerned there may still be people out there who don’t understand that how they are being treated at home is domestic abuse, a crime.”
