Between December 1, 2024 and January 3, 2025, Police Scotland were called to 5,945 domestic incidents, according to figures released to the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain said the figures gave a 'terrifying' sense of the scale of the issue. She said: 'These figures reflect just how prevalent violence against women and girls is across Scotland.
' Wendy Chamberlain urged the Scottish Government to act. She criticized delays in implementing provisions of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act, which was passed in 2021. The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act created domestic abuse protection notices and domestic abuse protection orders.
The provisions allow for an abuser to be removed from the victim's home immediately after an incident. However, the two provisions have yet to be implemented. Wendy Chamberlain said: 'Five years since the Domestic Abuse Act passed and the SNP are still dragging their heels over the crucial protections within it.
' In response, Scottish Government Minister Siobhian Brown said: 'We are committed to fully implementing Part 1 of the 2021 Act. ' She noted that a short-life working group was established to consider possible legislative changes to address these challenges, though the specific operational challenges and what legislative changes are being considered have not been detailed. Siobhian Brown said: 'To address these, a short-life working group was established to consider possible legislative changes to ensure the Act can be implemented as intended.
' The timeline for implementing the domestic abuse protection notices and orders remains unclear. The Scottish Government's increased investment aims to support ongoing prevention and survivor support efforts while work continues on the legislative implementation.