Police launch raids on homes in fresh phase of crackdown on domestic abuse

OFFICERS from Grampian Police yesterday carried out a series of raids on homes across Aberdeen as part of a two-day crackdown on domestic violence.

Details of the initiative were revealed after it was announced that the force dealt with 3,676 incidents of domestic abuse last year. Sergeant Moyra Clark, of the force's Domestic Abuse Unit in Aberdeen, said: "Domestic abuse has a significant impact not only on the victim, and the children who may witness it, or be aware of it happening within their household, but also the community as a whole.

"There are some alarming statistics which reveal that, on average, 35 incidents of domestic abuse occur before a victim will report anything to the police. In addition, one in four women will be subjected to domestic abuse in their lifetimes.

"But this isn't just a problem faced by women - more and more, men are also reporting incidents of domestic abuse, as are individuals in same sex relationships."

The raids are the latest phase of Operation Maple, an ongoing initiative against domestic violence across the Grampian area.