Portsmouth police see rise in domestic abuse cases as they increase focus on violence against women and girls

Superintendent Clare Jenkins, police district commander for Portsmouth, said police had seen a small increase in domestic abuse reports as she hosted an online question and answer session this evening.

It comes as Hampshire Constabulary joins forces across the country in dedicating more resources to tackling the issue.

Superintendent Jenkins said: ‘We are seeing an increase in reports of domestic abuse. We have had Covid which is interesting in terms of our stats, because lockdown changed everything.

‘We do have a lot of domestic abuse reports, our response officers and our neighbourhood officers are trained in how to approach those cases, and they are in homes on a daily basis.

‘It is a significant part of policing.’

But several residents who commented during the live broadcast on Facebook said more needs to be done to address the harassment of girls and women in public.

Portsmouth City Councillor Lee Hunt, representing the Nelson ward, commented: ‘Unfortunately, it took my intervention to get police to take action against a man following women and girls in North End. They refused at first but eventually turned out to see the complainant.’

Another resident added: ‘I just want a city that safe to walk in.’

In January, police arrested a 19-year-old from Portsmouth over an attack on a woman near the cenotaph in Guildhall Square in the early hours of New Year’s Day. Later that month, officers removed a 'strange' male 'predator' making 'concerning approaches' to women in Guildhall Walk.

Earlier this year saw The National Police Chief’s Council launch a new guidance to tackle violence against women and girls, including a focus on proactive patrols to spot predatory behaviour.

Superintendent Jenkins previously told The News that offices have launched patrols to prepare for spikes in anti-social behaviour this summer, with a call for police to flag hot-spots.

Areas that feel unsafe or are hotspots for concerning behaviour can be reported using the Hampshire Constabulary Street Safe tool at hampshire.police.uk/notices/street-safe.