The number of complaints about domestic violence in the PSP increased in the first half of the year

Domestic violence complaints filed with the PSP increased by 1.8% in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 7,706 complaints, security forces said Sunday, adding that 460 arrests were made.

In its first half-year review of “preventing and combating the scourge of domestic violence,” the PSP said 8,246 people had fallen victim to the crime, 5,107 of whom were women and 3,139 men, “meaning that women continue to suffer the most from this type of violence.”

As for the aggressors, during the same period, out of 10,984 registered persons, 2,371 were women and 8,613 were men.

However, according to the data, the PSP made 460 arrests between January 1 and June 30, 2024, of which 298 were made at the crime scene and 162 were made off-site through the issuance of an arrest warrant.

Of the suspects detained, 431 were men and 29 were women, the PSP report, released in a statement, said.

In 2023, the PSP recorded 15,499 reports of domestic violence crimes and arrested 971 suspects, of which 903 were men and 68 were women. Of these arrests, 612 were made at the crime scene and 359 were made off-site.

“To improve the monitoring of victims of this crime, providing all the necessary support and confidentiality in a time of great instability,” the PSP has created Police Structures for Assistance to Victims of Domestic Violence, 19 in total, distributed among the metropolitan commands of Porto (the first created) and Lisbon, the regional command of Madeira and the district commands of Castelo Branco, Évora, Portalegre, Setúbal and Viseu.

Of the 15,499 complaints registered in 2023, more than half were received by these specialized structures.

The PSP stresses that “the propensity of victims, as well as witnesses or other subjects, to report crimes of this type has increased”, a fact that, according to the PSP, “is of decisive importance (…) in reducing the number of crimes that go unreported”.

“People are becoming more aware and conscious of this crime, which helps PSPs to become aware of violent situations sooner and be able to help the victim at an earlier stage,” he says.

The PSP emphasizes that violence in romantic relationships can take physical, psychological/emotional, social, sexual and economic forms, emphasizing that “insults, threats, abuse, assault, humiliation, stalking or violations of intimacy are forms of this violence.”

“There are still some behaviours, especially among young couples, that also lead to violent situations,” he says, warning that “it is unacceptable for a partner to want to control what the other wears or who you have a relationship with, namely the circle of family/friends you interact with on social media or who want to know where and with whom your partner is at all times.”

Authorities remind that such behaviour and control “is abusive, causes severe anxiety to victims and should not be confused with harassment.”

The PSP also warns of the need for victims and witnesses to be able to report cases of domestic violence and can do so by email ([email protected]) or at police stations.

“All identified situations are immediately subjected to a risk assessment in order to promptly take safety measures to protect the victim that seem relevant to each specific case,” he assures.