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Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse is a serious, high harm and often underreported crime. It can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, race, sex, disability, religion or sexual orientation. It affects the lives of many people living within County Durham; the impact of which cuts across all ages, and all social, geographical and cultural groups.
Under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (applicable in England and Wales), “domestic abuse” is defined legally as follows:
- Age and personal connection
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- Both parties must be aged 16 or over.
- They must be “personally connected”, meaning they:
- are (or have been) married or civil partners;
- are (or have been) in an intimate relationship;
- share parental responsibility for a child;
- or are relatives.
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2. Abusive behaviour
The behaviour must be abusive, defined as one or more of:
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- Physical or sexual abuse
- Violent or threatening behaviour
- Controlling or coercive behaviour
- Economic abuse
- Psychological, emotional or other abuse
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It can be a single incident or part of a course of conduct.
3. Recognition of children as victims
A child under 18 who sees, hears, or experiences the effects of domestic abuse (when either parent or a relative is involved) is also considered a victim under this Act.
4. Economic abuse
Included explicitly for the first time in statute, economic abuse involves conduct that has a substantial adverse effect on someone’s ability to:
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- acquire, use, or maintain money or property (e.g., phone, car);
- obtain goods or services (e.g., food, utilities).
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Key Messages
These statistics relate to the Durham Constabulary area which covers County Durham and Darlington local authorities.
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- The rate of domestic abuse related incidents and crimes per 1,000 population (aged 16 and over) was 39.9 per 1000 in 2023/24. This was similar to the North East rate (39.6 per 1,000) and higher than the rate for England (27.1 per 1,000).
- In the 12 months to March 2024:
- 20,811 domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes were recorded. This was equivalent to 33 incidents and crimes for every 1,000 people in the population.
- 11,789 domestic abuse-related crimes recorded in Durham. This was equivalent to 18 crimes for every 1,000 people in the population.
- 57% of domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes in Durham were subsequently recorded as crimes in the year ending March 2024. (63% in England and Wales).
- 18% of all recorded crimes were classified as domestic abuse related. (16% in England and Wales).
- There was a total of 797 domestic abuse-related legal decisions made by the CPS.
- There were 663 domestic abuse-related charges, which equates to a charge rate of 83%.
(Dashboard in Development)
Why is it important?
The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) for year ending (YE) March 2024 shows:
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- An estimated 1.6 million women and 712,000 men aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse in the last year; a prevalence rate of approximately 6.6% of women and 3.0% of men.
- Based on that national prevalence, around 22,500 County Durham residents may have experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2024. This includes more than 15,000 women (aged 16+) and almost 6,500, men.
- A higher percentage of people aged 16 to 19 years were victims of domestic abuse in the last year compared with those aged 55 years and over.
- A higher proportion of people aged 16 years and over with a disability experienced domestic abuse in the last year than those without.
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 places a duty on Durham County Council (DCC), as a Tier 1 Local Authority, to provide support to victims of domestic abuse. It aims to:
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- Raise awareness and understanding about the devastating impact of domestic abuse on victims and their families.
- Further improve the effectiveness of the justice system in providing protection for victims of domestic abuse and bringing perpetrators to justice.
- Strengthen the support for victims of abuse by statutory agencies.
Assessments and audits
In 2026, a County Durham and Darlington Domestic Abuse Health Needs Assessment (HNA) was carried out by the Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Executive Group (DASVEG), on behalf of the Safe Durham Partnership. A summary, which includes the recommendations, is available here:
Domestic Abuse HNA (2026) summary
The Needs Assessment, which is also part of the statutory duties outlined in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, enables Durham County Council to identify key areas where commissioning activity needs to be focused, and shapes the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Strategy.
Our strategies, plans and groups
The Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Executive Group (D AS V E G) is the strategic multi-agency partnership for County Durham and Darlington, reporting into the Safe Durham Partnership.
As part of its statutory duties, DCC should produce a Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Strategy. The County Durham and Darlington Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Strategy 2026-2029 (PDF, 3 MB) is a joint area strategy that sets out how victims of domestic abuse in County Durham, Darlington and the surrounding area, will be supported with safe accommodation.
The evidence base
Home Office (2019): The Economic and Social Costs of Domestic Abuse
Home Office (2025): Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy
NICE Clinical Guidance CG110 (2010): Pregnancy and complex social factors: a model for service provision for pregnant women with complex social factors
NICE Public Health Guidance PH50 (2014): PH50: Domestic Violence and Abuse – Multi-Agency Working
NICE Quality Standard QS116 (2016): QS116. Domestic violence and abuse
The documents we publish on this page are either legally required to be made available for inspection, for information and analysis purposes or may have been supplied by the public and so in some cases may not be fully accessible. If, for any reason, you cannot access the documents and need an alternative format, please email ina@durham.gov.uk.