If someone is in immediate danger and their life is threatened, they should dial the Police on 999; if you are unable to talk, once connected to 999 press 55 and the police will attend. If it is not an emergency but you need help from the police, please call 101. For non-emergencies you can also report a crime online. 

Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse is an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence.  

Domestic abuse can occur between intimate partners, ex-partners, family members or individuals who share parental responsibility of a child. There is no requirement for the victims and perpetrator to live in the same household for behaviour to be considered abusive.  

Both the person carrying out the behaviour and the person whom the behaviour is directed towards must be aged 16 or over. Abusive behaviour directed as a person under 16 would be dealt with as child abuse rather than domestic abuse.  

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone regardless of any circumstance, age (16+), wealth, postcode, education, ethnicity, religion, sexuality or disability. (re-write - anyone regardless of...bullet points) 

Behaviour is abusive if it consists of any of the following: 

• Physical or sexual abuse 
• Violent or threatening behaviour 
• Controlling or coercive behaviour 
• Economic or financial abuse  
• Psychological, emotional or other abuse  

It does not matter is this behaviour is a single event or a course of conduct 

Types of domestic abuse