THE number of domestic abuse incidents in Barrhead has rocketed – but police say that is down to more people coming forward.

More than 230 people in the area have claimed to be victims of domestic abuse since April last year.

Police Scotland claims that rising confidence in the force and easier ways for people to seek help has caused the number of reported cases to rise above the area’s five-year average for domestic assaults.

However, the number of arrests for domestic incidents remains “disappointingly” low, with just 62 per cent of reports resulting in a conviction.

The area’s top officers say that a lack of witnesses to corroborate claims has a severe impact on their investigations – but local charities say that putting people in touch with groups who can help is a major step.

Local area commander, Chief Inspector Angela Carty, delivered Police Scotland’s third quarterly report to East Renfrewshire Council’s cabinet on Thursday last week.

She said: “Domestic incidents are one of our highest priorities in East Renfrewshire, as they are across Police Scotland.

“We have an extensive support network including the use of the specialised Divisional Domestic Abuse Unit, who bring their own expertise and investigative skills.

“In the area itself we have an excellent working relationship with East Renfrewshire Council’s abuse support team and local groups such as East Renfrewshire Women’s Aid (ERWA).”

The rising number of incidents, and the comparatively poor detection rate, could be taken by some to be a poor result for the area’s mean and women in uniform.

But Inspector Carty was keen to stress that no one in the force believes that more people are suffering abuse at the hands of their relatives or partners – instead more people now have the confidence to try and do something about it.

She continued: “The rise in the number of incidents, from what our research shows, is down to more people having the confidence in Police Scotland and its partners to come to us when they are victims of abuse.

“Less and less people are suffering in silence and attempting to find help.

“The detection rates do remain disappointingly low. However, we will always exhaust every avenue of enquiry, and we can help put victims in touch with our partner organisations who can offer support.”

The detection rate for domestic incidents had fallen from 83 per cent for the year 2015-2016, to just 62 per cent in the last year. It follows a trend of dipping detection rates across the board in Police Scotland’s report to cabinet.