Most attacks on women carried out by partners, Garda statistics show

Most violent attacks or abuse perpetrated on women take place in the home and are carried out by either current or former partners and spouses or “blood relatives’, new Garda statistics show.

However, male victims of assault and other incidents were likely to be targeted by perpetrators they did not know and, to a lesser extent, “blood relatives”.

The results of the new crime recording methods, over the past six months, have been shared by the Garda's chief information officer, Andrew O'Sullivan, during a meeting of the Policing Authority on Thursday.

Mr O’Sullivan said the data confirmed the theory most violence against women was “gender based”, rather than being random or resulting from general crime or aggression, as appeared to be the case for male victims.

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“If you look at all assaults against women, it’s almost the exact same pattern as for domestic abuse, it’s those three categories of relationships that drive the violence, drive the assaults,” he said of current or former partners and “blood relatives” most commonly attacking women rather than strangers or other people known to them.

“It’s quite different for men in that the ‘blood relative’ is still a factor, there is familial violence. But the overwhelming set of cases for men is where the offender is unknown to them; that unexpected attack or violence.”

Mr O’Sullivan also told the Policing Authority public meeting when records of domestic violence incidents were checked on the Garda’s Pulse database, some 95 per cent were found to be accurately classified. While the other 5 per cent of cases were not classified as being domestic in nature, they were still investigated, he said.

Some crimes not properly classified as domestic incidents included those that would not immediately present as domestic attacks, including forgery or presenting a false instrument – which can include identification or financial document – to inflict emotional abuse on a partner. Other domestic crimes that “may be lost” when being recorded on the Garda’s database included blackmail or extortion.

Mr O’Sullivan added while the conclusion that most violence against women was specifically gender-based was “not unexpected”, the Garda now had firm evidence of that. They could now base strategies – meaning harm reduction and crime investigation – on those conclusions.

For the crime of assault causing harm, 12.4 per cent of victims were attacked by their current partner or spouse and 6.1 per cent were attacked by a former partner or spouse.

Records for the crime of “minor assault” showed 10.3 per cent of victims were attacked by a current partner or spouse and 6.4 per cent were attacked by a former partner or spouse.

Some 6.7 per cent of people who were victims of assaults causing harm were attacked by a blood relative, with the figure rising to 12.1 per cent for minor assaults.

Female victims were “almost exclusively” attacked by partners, former partners or other family members. However, the vast majority of males who fell victim to attack were assaulted by people who were not known to them, Mr O’Sullivan said.

Meanwhile, the head of the Garda National Protective Services Bureau, Chief Supt Colm Noonan, said while legislation specifically dealing with stalking was awaited, stalking cases could still be dealt with under anti-harassment legislation. He said gardaí currently could, and do, investigate and prosecute stalkers.