Domestic violence applications up 20 per cent, new court figures show

Applications to the courts for protection from domestic violence have risen by almost 20 per cent, according to figures released by the Courts Service.

And applications for safety orders, issued to protect a person from violence or threats, rose by more than a third from 2011 to 2012.

While the success rate of applications for temporary orders was high, for orders with longer-term impacts the chances of success were less than half.

Applications to the District Court made under domestic violence legislation increased from 10,652 in 2011 to 12,655 in 2012.

Applicants
Just under half were made by spouses. Others were made by civil partners, cohabitees and parents of adult children.

Safety orders, which can last for up to five years, rose from 3,755 in 2011 to 5,026 in 2012. The number granted increased from 1,513 to 2,255.

The figures also show a rise of 23 per cent in applications for protection orders, temporary safety orders made when only the applicant is in court, from 3,403 in 2011 to 4,192 in 2012.

Eligibility for both protection and safety orders was widened by legislation in 2011, allowing additional categories of people to apply.

Barring orders
Applications for barring orders, the most draconian orders that require an individual to leave the family home for up to three years, showed a slight increase: up from 2,763 in 2011 to 2,789 in 2012.

2011 had also shown a slight increase on 2010, but against an overall downward trend; such applications have dropped by 44 per cent over 12 years, from a high of 4,470 in 2001.

Interim barring orders, requiring an individual to leave home for up to eight days until a full barring order hearing, decreased from 731 in 2011 to 648 in 2012.

The success rate of barring order applications has dropped; in 2001, 46 per cent were successful; in 2012, the figure was 41 per cent.

Almost 1,200 allegations of breaching barring orders, including entering the family home, threatening the protected individual or using violence, were made last year.

Some 530 were struck out or withdrawn, almost 120 had a prison sentence imposed, almost 80 cases were dismissed and more than 70 attracted fines.