First Domestic Abuse Prosecution Figures Published

Justice Minister Naomi Long has welcomed the first official publication of statistics on domestic abuse prosecutions and convictions in Northern Ireland.

The figures, released today, cover offences under the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021, which introduced a specific domestic abuse offence and associated aggravators. "The implementation of the domestic abuse offence and associated aggravators, in February 2022, was a landmark moment in tackling domestic abuse," Minister Long said. "The new offences sent out a clear message that all forms of domestic abuse, physical and non-physical, are wrong and won't be tolerated. I am pleased that we are now starting to see some data coming through which will enable us to analyse the effectiveness of the new legislation and identify any areas for improvement."

The statistics will provide valuable insights into the impact of the new legislation and help inform future policy decisions on how to best address domestic abuse in Northern Ireland.

Long continued: "In the coming months I intend to publish a report which will include statistics on police recorded offences as well as feedback from witnesses on their experiences at court. This additional data will provide a fuller picture and allow us to further analyse how effectively the legislation is operating."