Havering police have increased the number of officers able to deal with domestic violence after a rise in attacks was predicted during the World Cup.
Senior officer, Det Ch Insp Phil Rickells, said that more officers would be on duty to deal with reports of domestic violence throughout the tournament currently taking place in Brazil.
National research predicted that if England lost a game, domestic incidents in the UK could rise by 38 per cent.
Even if the nation’s team won or drew an increase of 26 per cent was predicted, according to the research published in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency.
The day following games there was a predicted increase of 11 per cent, with researchers noting that this could be because of people returning home in the early hours after late night games.
Det Ch Insp Rickells said: “We acknowledge the perceived link between the national team’s result and the increase in domestic abuse so we will have increased resources on duty during the World Cup to deal with domestic calls.”
The summer tournament is associated with alcohol and warmer temperatures, said the researchers from Lancashire University, and leads to a concentration of rivalry and aggression. Researches based their study on England matches in previous World Cups.
Mr Rickells added: “Havering is committed to driving down domestic abuse and providing the best quality of care to victims.
“This will be no different during the World cup.
“We have worked closely with our partners also to ensure that there is additional support and information for Havering residents during the World Cup also.
“Anyone who has or is currently suffering abuse is urged to contact police to help us to put an end to it.”
Victims of domestic abuse can contact Havering Police on 101 or call charity Refuge on 0808 2000 247.
Read more:
One in five Havering domestic abuse victims are men - and there are no refuge places for them
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