Rising numbers of domestic abuse offences being reported is a sign of growing confidence in police, an east London officer told a committee.
A quarterly performance indicator report presented to Havering Council's crime and disorder overview and scrutiny committee on December 9 revealed 705 such crimes had been recorded between July and September 2021.
This compares with 697 in the same period in 2020 and 662 in 2019.
Det Ch Supt Paul Trevers, interim boss of East Area Basic Command Unit, which covers Havering, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham, told the committee the rising figures did not necessarily mean more violence was taking place.
“We say that’s a positive, we say that is growing confidence in vulnerable victims reporting crime to the police to investigate,” he said.
“There is definitely a growth in first-time reporting, so we are comfortable that it is an improvement in confidence, not necessarily more violence."
Last month, Det Ch Supt Trevers spoke to this newspaper in the wake of Sarah Everard's murder.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here