More adults experience domestic abuse than previously thought
One in four adults in England and Wales are likely to have experienced domestic abuse at some point – a higher proportion than previously thought, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The figure is greater for women, at nearly one-in-three, while for men it is closer to one-in-five.
The estimates are the first to use an improved method for measuring the prevalence of domestic abuse among the population.
A new set of questions have been added to the ONS's long-running Crime Survey for England and Wales to better capture a wider range of abuse types and behaviours.
They include questions about health abuse and forced marriage – areas not previously covered by the survey – as well as reflecting recent changes in the law regarding coercive and controlling behaviour.
More detail on economic abuse, which can take the form of someone deliberately getting a person into debt or preventing them from getting a job, has also been included.
The ONS now estimates that in the year to March 2024, 26.1 per cent of adults – around one in four – had experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16, the equivalent of 12.6 million people.
Under the old method, which is not directly comparable with the new survey, the ONS estimated that one in five (20.5 per cent) questioned in the 12 months to March 2024 had experienced abuse since 16.
The new estimates suggest 30.3 per cent of women and 21.7 per cent of men surveyed in this period had experienced domestic abuse at some point since the age of 16, equivalent to 7.4 million and 5.1 million people respectively.
Meghan Elkin, the ONS head of crime statistics, said: 'The way domestic abuse manifests is constantly changing and is difficult to measure.
'In developing these questions, we have listened to victims and survivors of domestic abuse alongside a range of users from charities to academics and other government departments.
'These new questions are a positive step in better understanding domestic abuse and providing vital information to all those working to improve outcomes and support for victims.
'The new approach has resulted in a higher prevalence rate as we have introduced questions to ask about types of abuse not previously covered by the crime survey, such as health abuse and forced marriage.'
Health abuse includes anything from depriving a person of daily essentials, such as food and sleep, to forcing someone to terminate pregnancy or denying someone medical assistance.
Marital status-related abuse includes forced marriage and the prevention of marrying someone of your choice.
The new figures also suggest that an estimated 8.0 per cent of people aged 16 and over (3.9 million people) surveyed in the year to March 2024 were likely to have experienced some kind of domestic abuse in the previous 12 months, with a higher figure for women (9.5 per cent or 2.3 million) than men (6.5 per cent or 1.5 million).
Responding to the findings, Dame Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, said: 'Domestic abuse has a devastating impact on the millions of lives it touches but for too long the scale of the problem – and its pervasiveness – has remained hidden.
'Developing new ways to further our understanding of this terrible crime so we can put in place measures to tackle it and ensure survivors receive the support they need is absolutely vital.
'I welcome the ongoing focus on domestic abuse by the ONS, as only through knowing the full picture will we be able to rid society of it for good.'
Sarika Seshadri, the head of research and evaluation at Women's Aid, said: 'The new questions will provide insight into victim-survivors' experiences of domestic abuse since the age of 16, including detailed profiles of which victim-survivors are experiencing the highest impact and highest harm forms of abuse.
'By understanding not only prevalence but impact, and how this is affecting different groups of the population, we will be able to identify to what extent policies and practice are either reducing or exacerbating experiences of domestic abuse, and in particular for whom, so that we can develop targeted and meaningful interventions.'
In developing the new questions, the ONS worked with a consortium led by the Centre for Gender and Violence Research at the University of Bristol, that also involved the College of Policing, the Women's Aid Federation of England, Men's Advice Line, Imkaan and Welsh Women's Aid.
While the updated questions are better aligned with the offence of coercive and controlling behaviour, it is not possible to separate out an estimate for victims of this offence, the ONS said.
More detailed findings from the new survey will be published later in the year.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Fraud is evolving, and so must we
With fraud now the most prevalent crime in the UK, and attempts continuing to increase, as reported by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) with a 19% surge over the last year, the urgency for immediate action is apparent. Yet, despite UK Finance recording 3.31 million instances of fraud in 2024, the UK remains a global leader in reducing fraud losses. The industry prevented £1.14bn of unauthorised fraud last year, equivalent to stopping 67p for every £1 a fraudster tried to steal, and reimbursed customers for 98% of all unauthorised fraud. There is no time for complacency, however. Criminals are always among the first to embrace new technologies, ceaselessly innovating, and evolving their tactics. The industry must act now, collaborating on preventive strategies to protect consumers proactively. Success in preventing Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud – with case volumes dropping in 2024 to their lowest level since 2021 – has led fraudsters to seek fertile new grounds for attack. Remote purchase fraud, for example, has surged, while pressure for the Single European Payment Area to adopt real-time cross-border payments presents a significant opportunity for criminals to abuse. The UK's success in mitigating fraud and reimbursing customers is no reason to stop adapting. Fraud is often just as emotionally damaging as it is financially draining, with a Lloyds Banking Group survey last year finding more than two-thirds of fraud victims suffered negative psychological impacts from the experience. To protect victims from trauma and prevent fraudsters from realising any profits, continuous adaptation and early intervention, not just reimbursement, is needed. Behavioural and device intelligence – including keystroke and mouse activity, touch screen behaviour, and physical device attributes – empowers banks to recognise and stop fraud in real-time, before any money leaves a would-be-victim's account. Banks cannot do this alone, however. They are often the last line of defence. Fraud typically begins upstream, with phishing, fake ads, and scam calls occurring on social media and other online channels. Other sectors need to bear some responsibility for the origins of these attacks and adopt the same commitment to fraud prevention as their financial services counterparts. Regulators must also hold those other sectors accountable. The Online Safety Act, while a step in the right direction, has fallen short of enforcing responsibility among tech giants. The government's future strategy must provide direction and incentives to ensure collaboration between the tech, telecoms and banking sectors. International examples provide a blueprint. In Australia, for example, banks are now working together as part of the world's first behaviour-based financial crime intelligence-sharing network, discussing fraud prevention strategies, new intelligence, and potential risks. With well-designed regulations and the motivation to collaborate across sectors, we as a society can better innovate and devote more resources to the fight against fraud. Public awareness also plays a crucial role. Australian banks, through their financial crime intelligence network, are supporting customers in actively identifying risks, and the National Australia Bank (NAB) alone has reportedly stopped around $50m of payments by customers within just two months. This outcome highlights the importance of public awareness in preventing fraud and encourages more proactive customer behaviour. While public awareness is crucial, it's equally important to strike a balance in educating people about the risks of fraud without discouraging them from using digital services. Reduced reliance on technology can lead to lower efficiency and productivity, as well as higher costs, ultimately harming innovation, investment, and economic growth. Getting this balance right is essential. Even with collective action, we cannot eliminate fraud, but we can disrupt, deter, and make it unprofitable for criminals. By fostering collaboration across the financial services sector, technology, telecoms, government, and society, we can transition from a reactive to a proactive approach, creating friction for fraudsters while reducing friction for consumers. Jonathan Frost is Director of Global Advisory for EMEA at BioCatch "Fraud is evolving, and so must we" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. 擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Tesco shoppers mock 'VAR'-style cameras at self-checkout
Tesco's introduction of AI technology to some self-checkouts has led to customers joking that it bears a striking resemblance to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology used in football. The supermarket is aiming to reduce shoplifting by installing overhead cameras to identify when shoppers fail to scan an item properly, and then showing a live-action replay of the item not scanning. While some shoppers mocked the tech, others complained it was a step too far, with some saying they would not use self-checkout again. The move comes after shoplifting in the UK hit a record high in 2024. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales rose 20% last year to 516,971. But the number of thefts recorded by retailers themselves is even higher. Figures from the British Retail Consortium suggest there were 20.4 million thefts in the year to last September, up 3.7 million on the year before, costing retailers £2bn. Tesco said it had rolled out the technology across some of its stores in a bid to help customers using self-service checkouts to identify if an item hasn't scanned properly. The supermarket said it would make the checkout process "quicker and easier". If an item fails to scan, customers are shown a video on the self-service screen of their attempt, accompanied by a message saying "The last item wasn't scanned properly. Remove from bagging area and try again." It follows a similar move by Sainsbury's, which has rolled out AI recognition technology at self-service checkouts at some of its stores. "We regularly review the security measures in our stores and our decisions to implement them are based on a range of factors, including offering our customers a smooth checkout experience," said a Sainsbury's spokesperson. "VAR Decision – Tuna Disallowed," joked one commenter on a video posted on Instagram showing the technology flagging an item that had failed to scan properly, which has had more than 3.5 million views. "Clearly off side," added another. But on Bluesky, a user voiced fears that the technology could open the door to more surveillance measures. "What's next? Drones to follow… you about the store?" On Facebook, another user said he would "not use self-checkouts" after the technology was introduced. The move marks the latest attempt by retailers to try to stem the rise in shoplifting. Tesco has also introduced giant trolley scales at its Gateshead store, which prompted a similarly mixed response from shoppers earlier this year. "Am I at border control or Tesco?" asked one Reddit user. Last week Greggs announced that it will move its self-serve food and drinks behind the counter at sites where there are high levels of theft. And in 2023, photos circulating on social media showed supermarkets had fitted products including steaks and cheese with security tags, while coffee was replaced with dummy jars. Shoplifting offences in London on the rise Shoplifters 'out of control' and becoming more brazen, say retailers
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
More adults experience domestic abuse than previously thought
Several million more adults have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16, data shows. One in four adults in England and Wales are likely to have experienced domestic abuse at some point – a higher proportion than previously thought, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The figure is greater for women, at nearly one-in-three, while for men it is closer to one-in-five. The estimates are the first to use an improved method for measuring the prevalence of domestic abuse among the population. A new set of questions have been added to the ONS's long-running Crime Survey for England and Wales to better capture a wider range of abuse types and behaviours. They include questions about health abuse and forced marriage – areas not previously covered by the survey – as well as reflecting recent changes in the law regarding coercive and controlling behaviour. More detail on economic abuse, which can take the form of someone deliberately getting a person into debt or preventing them from getting a job, has also been included. The ONS now estimates that in the year to March 2024, 26.1 per cent of adults – around one in four – had experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16, the equivalent of 12.6 million people. Under the old method, which is not directly comparable with the new survey, the ONS estimated that one in five (20.5 per cent) questioned in the 12 months to March 2024 had experienced abuse since 16. The new estimates suggest 30.3 per cent of women and 21.7 per cent of men surveyed in this period had experienced domestic abuse at some point since the age of 16, equivalent to 7.4 million and 5.1 million people respectively. Meghan Elkin, the ONS head of crime statistics, said: 'The way domestic abuse manifests is constantly changing and is difficult to measure. 'In developing these questions, we have listened to victims and survivors of domestic abuse alongside a range of users from charities to academics and other government departments. 'These new questions are a positive step in better understanding domestic abuse and providing vital information to all those working to improve outcomes and support for victims. 'The new approach has resulted in a higher prevalence rate as we have introduced questions to ask about types of abuse not previously covered by the crime survey, such as health abuse and forced marriage.' Health abuse includes anything from depriving a person of daily essentials, such as food and sleep, to forcing someone to terminate pregnancy or denying someone medical assistance. Marital status-related abuse includes forced marriage and the prevention of marrying someone of your choice. The new figures also suggest that an estimated 8.0 per cent of people aged 16 and over (3.9 million people) surveyed in the year to March 2024 were likely to have experienced some kind of domestic abuse in the previous 12 months, with a higher figure for women (9.5 per cent or 2.3 million) than men (6.5 per cent or 1.5 million). Responding to the findings, Dame Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, said: 'Domestic abuse has a devastating impact on the millions of lives it touches but for too long the scale of the problem – and its pervasiveness – has remained hidden. 'Developing new ways to further our understanding of this terrible crime so we can put in place measures to tackle it and ensure survivors receive the support they need is absolutely vital. 'I welcome the ongoing focus on domestic abuse by the ONS, as only through knowing the full picture will we be able to rid society of it for good.' Sarika Seshadri, the head of research and evaluation at Women's Aid, said: 'The new questions will provide insight into victim-survivors' experiences of domestic abuse since the age of 16, including detailed profiles of which victim-survivors are experiencing the highest impact and highest harm forms of abuse. 'By understanding not only prevalence but impact, and how this is affecting different groups of the population, we will be able to identify to what extent policies and practice are either reducing or exacerbating experiences of domestic abuse, and in particular for whom, so that we can develop targeted and meaningful interventions.' In developing the new questions, the ONS worked with a consortium led by the Centre for Gender and Violence Research at the University of Bristol, that also involved the College of Policing, the Women's Aid Federation of England, Men's Advice Line, Imkaan and Welsh Women's Aid. While the updated questions are better aligned with the offence of coercive and controlling behaviour, it is not possible to separate out an estimate for victims of this offence, the ONS said. More detailed findings from the new survey will be published later in the year. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
