Surge in domestic violence cases in Bexley during lockdown

By Lachlan Leeming, Local Democracy Reporter

South-east London has seen a surge in “high risk” domestic violence cases since the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown, the leading London charity supporting victims of abuse at home has stated.

Joanne Rollings, service manager at the Bexley branch of Solace Women’s Aid, said unprecedented measures to combat the deadly virus presented “a very frightening time for victims of domestic abuse,” and was “providing further tools” to perpetrators.

She said: “It is meaning that victims are being exposed to this abusive behaviour for longer periods of time, especially if both are at home all day.”

She added that an eerie lull at the start of the lockdown period – where the Bexley-based branch experienced a dramatic drop in requests for help – has now been replaced by a sharp rise.

“In the first week of lockdown the calls and requests for support seemed to decline within Bexley,” she said.

“For myself and my team this was a worrying period, you could sense the feeling that those needing support may be having difficulty accessing it.

“This has now changed and we are seeing an increase in calls to our service, along with those requiring support finding other ways to make contact with us.”

She added the charity, which is London’s leading service providing support for women, children and young people experiencing domestic violence or sexual abuse, was now seeing greater rates of “high risk” cases being referred to it from the Metropolitan Police Service.

The controlling tactics used by perpetrators, which make it even more difficult for victims to call for help, emphasised the need for other members of the community to help report instances of abuse, Ms Rollings said.

She said: “We need to ensure that neighbours, friends and family are listening out for anything and reporting to the police.”

It comes as the head of the pan-London group said the lockdown had plunged the charity into “uncharted waters”.

Solace chief executive Fiona Dwyer said it was “increasingly worried” about women across London not being able to reach out for help during the wide-spread measures.

If you are a victim of domestic abuse in Bexley borough call Solace on 02031984 4659 Monday to Friday 9 am to 5pm or email bexley.community@solacewomensaid.org. If you are concerned for a friend contact Solace for advice or report it anonymously to crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.