FIGURES from Wiltshire Police show there was a dramatic increase in the number of cases of domestic abuse reported last year.

In 2014, there were 3,553 recorded incidents of domestic abuse. This is up from 2,990 in the previous year, an increase of almost 20 per cent.

The police say there are a variety of reasons for this including better training, greater awareness and changes in the law.

A spokesman said: “Wiltshire Police recognise that there was a rise in domestic abuse related crime in 2014 compared to the previous year.

“However, the force is confident that these figures are a reflection of both further training for officers in dealing with and correctly recording cases of domestic abuse and the recent introduction of Clare’s Law and Domestic Violence Protection Orders/Notices which further encourages victims of domestic abuse to report the crime to the police.”

Clare’s Law was first piloted in Wiltshire before later going national, and allows women to check to see if their partners have a violent criminal past.

It was named after Clare Wood, 36, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton at her home in Salford in February 2009.

Swindon Women’s Aid also agree that due to domestic violence being given more coverage in the press, victims have more confidence to come forward.

The charity, which provides support for victims, says it has also seen an increase in calls, which supports this theory.

Abby Ayre, the office manager at Swindon Women’s Aid, said: “We do believe it is due to domestic violence being more well-known given the recent publicity, locally and nationally.

“Victims are more willing to report to police and to also give us a call. We know this as our telephone logs have more than doubled since 2012.”

The charity believes a key way of tackling the problem is to increase education on the subject among young people.

Last year, Swindon Women’s Aid received funding allowing them to go into schools to speak with pupils.

“I believe young persons’ training is important and the most effective way to tackle domestic violence to prevent it happening within the next generation,” said Abby.

“Given that 16 to 25-year-olds are most at risk, it is so important that they are aware of the signs of an abusive relationship in an effort to stop them becoming victims.”

The Swindon Women’s Aid website is at www.swindonwomensaid.org and its helpline is 01793 610610. A human being is on the other end of the line 24 hours a day. There is no answering machine.