FEWER domestic abuse offences were recorded by police in Cheshire last year, new figures show, bucking a national trend.

The number of abuse crimes logged by forces across England and Wales has topped 900,000, after rising for the sixth successive year.

Anti-domestic violence charity Refuge said women and girls face an ‘epidemic of violence’ and called on the Government to prioritise bringing perpetrators to justice and protecting victims.

But Office for National Statistics figures show 17,154 domestic abuse-related crimes were recorded by Cheshire Constabulary in the year to March – down from 17,513 the year before.

The number of domestic abuse-related violent crimes also fell in the last year, from 14,137 to 13,862.

Nationally, 910,000 domestic abuse offences were recorded in the year to March – 7.7 per cent more than the year before – and the highest since records began in 2015-16.

Ruth Davison, CEO of Refuge, said the figures show ‘we are still facing an epidemic of violence against women and girls which shows no sign of stopping’.

Despite the rise in offences, the number of arrests and crimes referred to the Crown Prosecution Service has fallen across the country.

Across the 41 police forces that supplied sufficient data, the arrest rate per 100 domestic abuse-related crimes fell from 32.6 in 2020-21 to 31.3 last year.

Meanwhile, the number of referrals of domestic abuse suspects also fell, from 77,812 to 67,063.

Ms Davison added: "The figures restate the importance of Refuge’s calls for improved mandatory training for all criminal justice professionals so they recognise the seriousness of domestic abuse, and can respond in an appropriate, trauma-informed way.”

The Home Office said domestic abuse is  ‘devastating crime that ruins lives’ and that it is fully supporting victims, survivors and their families.

A spokesperson said more than £230 million is being invested to tackle rising domestic abuse offences, with the Domestic Abuse Act further supporting victims.

Of the funding, £3.3 million has been committed to training first responders to treat every case sensitively.