New legislation and a multi-agency approach to dealing with domestic abuse means more victims are being identified sooner according to the Sutton police.

In Sutton reported incidents of domestic abuse rose 13 per cent last year to 1,169, two per cent less than across the capital, but police attribute the increase to people feeling more confident to report abuse.

Data shows over the last four years in Sutton there has been a 25 per cent drop in the number of victims experiencing two or more domestic abuse crimes and that figure could drop even further after changes to the Serious Crime Act 2015 last month made coercive or controlling behaviour a crime, punishable by up to five years in prison.

Detective Inspector James Carrington, responsible for the community safety unit in Sutton, thinks a change in the way police approach domestic abuse has helped victims feel safer about reporting it.

He welcomed the changes to legislation as a gift to him as an investigator as it would allow his team to take action on abusive behaviour before it escalates to violence.

He said: “In the past the line between a crime and a non-crime has always been a blur but now we are much more robust about what constitutes a crime – therefore we have more reports.

“I think most people grow up knowing violence is wrong but they might not understand that being obsessively jealous is now a crime.

“It [domestic abuse] is any behaviour that is abusive like harassment or financial abuse, if someone says to their partner ‘you can go out but I am only giving you an allowance, you have to be back by a certain time’ or ‘who are you speaking to, I want to see your phone’ it is abuse.

“It is anything that is a pattern of behaviour that is designed to coerce and control another human being.

“You cannot impose your own neurosis on someone to the point where their lives become miserable, it is just basic consideration for other people.”

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D Insp Carrington wants to create long-term solutions to domestic abuse through better communication with the victim and education.

He added: “The victim is the centre of our investigation and contact with them is vital, if we can get the Metropolitan Police with all its red tape into the 21st century there are digital messaging services and apps we need to explore. What we used to do with an old style panic alarm your smart phone can do now.

“This is one of the things I am going to be looking at in the next six to 12 months.

“In the past it [domestic abuse] was not even considered to be a crime and in parts of society it is still considered as something that is a private matter but it’s not, it is crimes like grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm, criminal damage and harassment.

“If this happened in the street or happened to you by your neighbour you wouldn’t stand for it, so why do we put up with it in the home – much less than from people that are supposed to care about us.

“If you get burgled or you get robbed, yes it is traumatic, you get over it and move on but with domestic violence you live with those effects every day, it ruins lives.

“The emotional cost of domestic abuse to families can’t be calculated.”

Domestic abuse accounts for between 30 to 40 per cent of violent crime in the borough.

In December Sutton police launched a new initiative with St Helier Hospital to have an independent domestic violence advisor stationed at the hospital to help identify victims earlier.

The initiative is set to be rolled out through GP services in the borough by April.

The Safer Sutton Partnership, which manages the service, also runs a domestic violence One Stop Shop in Sutton that offers advice and support for victims from counsellors, police and solicitors.

Domestic violence lead for the Safer Sutton Partnership Adam French helps run the One Stop Shop, which has helped oversee the reduction in repeat victims in its four years of operating.

He said: “We opened the shop to give every victim at every risk level a front door into domestic violence advice.

“In the time the shop has been open we have seen about 1,000 people and we get very good feedback on the advice we give, that is one of the things that has encouraged more people to come forward and report.

“Historically people think that they are not going to be believed, or their claims won’t be taken seriously or they don’t think that anything positive will happen for them if they report.

“It is mostly women that come forward, most of them are suffering from some sort of depression or more severe mental health problems as a result of long term abuse.

“About 96 per cent of our cases are female and 4 per cent are male.

“The nice thing we are seeing more recently is people coming in at an earlier stage, which is exactly what we want them to do.

“It is very often an ex-partner, an important message is that simply leaving an abusive relationship doesn’t necessarily mean the abuse will end, it is about power and control.”

The One Stop Shop is run at the Sutton Baptist Church at 21 Cheam Road on Wednesdays from 9.30-11.30am.