BELFAST – The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) today marked the third anniversary of its dedicated Action Plan to Combat Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), revealing that over the past three years, officers have made 5,042 arrests under new domestic violence legislation. The PSNI highlighted its continuing commitment to tackling the “societal issue,” which saw police deal with a domestic abuse call on average every 17 minutes last year.
Key Statistics and Arrest Breakdown
The arrests made up to the end of last month fall under new legislation covering various forms of abuse:
- Domestic Abuse Offence: An average of 84 arrests per month.
- Non-Fatal Strangulation: An average of 76 arrests per month.
- Stalking and Threatening Behaviour: An average of 19 arrests per month.
Despite the scale of the issue—which saw the police record 21,729 VAWG-classified offences in the 12 months up to July (a 4% decrease on the previous year)—PSNI officials emphasised that the true scale of violence is likely much higher due to underreporting. Detective Chief Inspector Leah Crothers of the PSNI’s Public Protection Branch urged the public to “call it out,” stressing that combating violence is a collective effort.
A Survivor’s Ordeal and Call to Action
The anniversary event featured the powerful testimony of a survivor, identified only as Sophie, whose experience highlights the brutal reality of domestic violence. Sophie, a university student in 2021, was violently assaulted by her boyfriend, Fearghall Mulgrew, a student she met on Tinder.
Recalling the assault, Sophie described being slapped, bitten on her face and neck, and feeling “definitely powerless” as her pleas to stop were met with laughter. The ordeal, which lasted nearly an hour, ended when she escaped and sought hospital treatment.
In February of the previous year (February 2024), Mulgrew, 26, from Co Tyrone, was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court to 22 months after pleading guilty to sexual and physical assault, with eight months to be served in custody. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for ten years. Sophie urged other victims to come forward, saying the legal process “made such an impact on my life” and helped her tackle what she had gone through.
Tragic Context and Societal Risk
The legislative action is framed against the backdrop of Northern Ireland’s high risk for women; 28 women were murdered by partners, former partners, or family members over the past five years.
This tragic reality was most recently underscored by the horrific July murder-suicide in Co Fermanagh, where veterinary surgeon Vanessa Whyte (45), originally from Co Clare, and her children, Sara (13) and James Rutledge (14), were fatally shot by her husband, Ian Rutledge, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound five days later. The PSNI’s commitment to the VAWG Action Plan remains a critical part of the justice system’s response to this epidemic of violence.
