Concerns have been raised after domestic abuse-related crimes in Derry and Strabane rose again last year, with nearly 50 domestic abuse reported to police every week.
New figures from PSNI showed that in Derry City and Strabane policing district there was an increase of 347 domestic abuse crimes in July 2021-June 2022 compared to July 2020 and June 2021.
It represents a 17% increase, bringing the number of domestic abuse crimes in the district between July 2021 and June 2022 to 2,388 - which is 45 a week.
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The SDLP's Sinéad McLaughlin has said domestic abuse must never be tolerated in our society, saying it was a "serious cause for concern".
“It is also particularly concerning that ten policing districts have showed an increase in the number of domestic abuse incidents this year compared to last," the Foyle MLA said.
"The fact is that far from making progress, we are going backwards on this issue and more women are suffering the consequences.
“These statistics are even more frustrating when you consider that we do not yet have a Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. This speaks volumes about the seriousness with which this crisis is being treated by the Executive parties and is a truly damning indictment of the state of our politics and the priorities of our political leaders.
“Domestic abuse is a heinous crime can never be normalised in our society and we need to do everything possible to eradicate it once and for all.
"We can’t wait any longer for our government to wake up to this crisis. We need to see progress on the strategy and we also need to ensure that it is fully resourced and implemented.
"I will be writing to the Permanent Secretary of The Executive Office to urge progress on this important issue.”
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