Arrests for coercive and controlling behaviour across Suffolk peaked in pandemic but charges remain lower, figures reveal
The number of arrests for coercive control peaked during the pandemic – but the number of people charged is dramatically lower, figures have revealed.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by SuffolkNews found that 388 arrests were made for suspected coercive / controlling behaviour between 2019 to 2024, with 144 people charged during the same period.
Suffolk Police said there was a very high charging threshold for coercive control, but officers could charge for other related offences and it was using a new risk assessment to better identify such behaviour.
Charity Women’s Aid defines coercive control, which was made a criminal offence in 2015, as an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse used to harm, punish or frighten a victim.
It is designed to make a person dependent by isolating them from support, exploiting them, depriving them of independence and regulating their everyday behaviour.
SuffolkNews has spoken to Restore Women's Aid (previously Bury St Edmunds Women's Aid) about the figures, the increase during the pandemic and the impact of coercive control on victims.
Suffolk Police has also outlined the work it is doing to spot coercive control.
The figures
The FOI data from Suffolk Police shows the highest number of arrests for coercive / controlling behaviour was during the pandemic years, with 75 in 2020, 81 in 2021 and 79 in 2022.
This compares with 44 in 2019, 59 in 2023 and 50 so far this year.
However, the number of those charged was far lower.
In 2019, there were 24, with 20 in 2020, 19 in 2021, 34 in 2022, 38 in 2023 and nine this year.
Restore Women's Aid (previously Bury St Edmunds Women's Aid)
The pandemic shone a light on coercive control and domestic abuse, said Katherine Ahluwalia, principal operations manager at Restore Women's Aid (previously Bury St Edmunds Women's Aid).
“It definitely got worse during the pandemic,” she said.
“People were locked down together. Previously if you were in a coercive, controlling relationship you might be going to work or the children going to school. It exacerbated the whole issue because survivors were spending 24/7 with their perpetrators.
“In lockdown, neighbours, friends and family started to report people more because there was much more awareness and publicity about it.”
Coercive control is a really complex issue and although police may be called, it doesn’t always mean there will be a conviction, she said.
However, Mrs Ahluwalia said it was still important that people were reporting the issue.
Although suspected abusers may not be charged with coercive control, they could be charged with another offence such as grievous bodily harm.
“It’s very difficult to just look at the figures and understand what’s happened, but the really important thing is that the figures for reporting are going up and the figures for arrests are going up,” she said.
Coercive control, she said, was a mixture of psychological and emotional abuse, with the perpetrator playing mind games with their victim.
This could include withholding money, reducing access to earning money and stopping them progressing in their career.
“It’s about what they stop you from doing,” said Mrs Ahluwalia.
“A really key factor is social isolation, because if you isolate someone from their family, friends, colleagues and peers, two things happen – they normalise the behaviour and cut off their pathways for help and support.”
Most of the domestic abuse they see contained an element of coercive control.
On the impact it could have on victims, she said: “If you think about a spectrum, the very least it’s going to do is lower your self esteem and confidence, particularly with young people who are very vulnerable to that.
“Then it moves up the spectrum – it’s very common to have anxiety and depression. We see a lot of PTSD and complex PTSD with repeated trauma.
“You feel like you’re treading on egg shells the whole time – that is anxiety and hyper vigilance when you realise you’re changing your behaviour because of the other person to keep them happy or to stop there being consequences or punishment.”
She said victims could recover but it was important they reached out to professionals for help.
The charity offers one-to-one support in Haverhill, Bury, Newmarket and Stowmarket.
For more information, visit https://burystedmundswomensaid.org.uk/
The police
In January 2023, Suffolk Police began using the Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment (DARA) when engaging with victims of domestic abuse, as recommended by the College of Policing, and it was specifically designed to better identify coercive and controlling behaviour.
A spokesperson said the use of DARA could be a factor in helping to better identify coercive and controlling behaviour.
It was too early to make an assessment for 2024 given that many suspects arrested for coercive and controlling behaviour may still be under investigation, which could lead to charges.
They said: “Investigating such crime can be a complex and sensitive situation, however our focus is to ensure that victims remain at the centre of all we do.
“It is important to say that there is a very high charging threshold for coercive control, however police can charge for other related offences, so not charging for coercive control does not mean the suspect isn’t prosecuted.
“The behaviour, on the part of the perpetrator, needs to take place repeatedly or continuously and within an intimate or familial relationship.
“The behaviour must cause the victim to fear violence will be used against them or it has had a serious effect on the victim’s activities, and the alleged perpetrator must have known that their behaviour would have a serious effect on the victim.”
The force’s training for frontline officers in terms of domestic abuse has enabled better identification of coercion and control, they said.
The spokesperson said: “Partners are also improving their understanding of this crime all the time. In 2018 a change in crime recording expectations required police forces to record control and coercion as an offence in addition to other crimes committed by the perpetrators, hence the increase during 2020-22.
“Bearing in mind the lockdowns that were experienced during the pandemic, anecdotally, this may well have influenced figures at the time, bearing in mind the nature of this crime.
“We continue to work with specialist support agencies which can help individuals affected by such abuse. This support includes referrals to independent domestic violence advisors and the constabulary domestic abuse teams, who can signpost appropriately for additional support.
“If this is happening to you, it is important to remember that it is not your fault and you need help and support to keep safe. If you feel in immediate danger as a result of domestic abuse, dial 999 straight away and, if possible, wait in a safe place for the police to arrive.”
Tim Passmore, Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said coercive control was often hidden from view and could have devastating consequences for the victim.
“The number of offences has fluctuated and is probably influenced by the effects of the pandemic when people were constrained by lockdown,” he said. “This is not an excuse however.
“Charging decisions can be influenced by what the CPS decides to do or not do. One of the challenges with this legislation is for the offence to be proved beyond all reasonable doubt when often it is one word against another. Therefore I understand other offences are often easier to charge and convict which could have affected the data.”
A list of support organisations can be found here.
