THOUSANDS of domestic abuse incidents have been recorded by police in Renfrewshire in the space of a year, latest figures show.

Data released by the Scottish Government reveals that officers recorded 2,070 incidents of abuse in the local area during 2021/22.

However, reported cases in Renfrewshire are down by two per cent compared to the previous year.

This follows the trend for Scotland as a whole, with the national total falling for the first time since 2015/16.

More than three out of 10 incidents reported across the country during 2021/22 involved common assault, while 21% involved threatening or abusive behaviour.

Where gender information was recorded, around 81% of incidents had a female victim – an increase of 1% from the previous year.

At a local authority level, Dundee City (172), West Dunbartonshire (161) and Glasgow City (147) recorded the highest incident rates per 10,000 residents.

A spokesperson for the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership said it takes domestic abuse very seriously and collaborates with Renfrewshire Council and multi-agency partners to tackle the issue and gender-based violence.

“Within priority settings, including maternity, mental health, substance misuse, A&E, community nursing and sexual health services, staff are trained to routinely make enquiries where any signs of abuse are identified,” added the spokesperson.

“This is supported by a proactive, targeted approach to promoting guidance and information on the services available to support families affected by Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and how to access them.

“The Violence Against Women Partnership actively engages with primary and secondary schools in the local authority area. This work aims to raise awareness among children, teachers and parents and build better understanding of gender-based violence, positive, healthy relationships and consent, as part of a whole school approach to tackling VAWG.

“We also take a proactive approach with other young people, victims and survivors through working with youth work organisations, as well as staff in child welfare settings.

“Renfrewshire is working on a refreshed gender-based violence strategy, which will outline how services will meet the future needs of local women, children and perpetrators.”