TEN people in Lancashire have been killed in ‘domestic homicides’ since 2016, while police in the region recorded more than 21,000 domestic abuse related crimes just last year.

Figures released this week suggest there has been a stark rise in such crimes in the region since 2016, when domestic abuse accounted for nine per cent of all recorded offences. It now accounts for over 13 per cent.

The sobering statistics suggest that the number of recorded domestic abuse crimes equated to 15 for every 1,000 people in the region last year – and 12 per thousand for related violent offences.

And now charity bosses have spoken out, saying more funding needs to be made available to enable them to do the necessary work to keep women, men and children vulnerable to abuse safe.

Shigufta Khan, the chief executive officer for Blackburn and Darwen District Without Abuse said in the first six months of the year 1,400 people had used the organisation’s services, a figure which highlights the increasing need for support in the area.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph she said: “The latest statistics are really demotivating for many people working so hard to help and support those suffering abuse and they really show the extent of the problem.

“We are trying so hard make a difference but that can be difficult when you look at these figures.

“We are seeing more and more people coming through our doors and many more complex cases. The money we get from the local authority has not been cut, but it has stayed the same while the number of people coming to us for support is significantly increasing.

“This is an issue that needs to be of the utmost priority for any government to deal with.”

Back in September an East Lancashire coroner voiced his concerns over management of dangerous offenders after domestic violence victim Cherylee Shennan was killed by a convicted murderer who had been released back into the community. Cherylee, 40, was stabbed and beaten with a hammer by her partner, Paul O’Hara, in July 2014.

He had only been released on a ‘life licence’, in April 2012, having killed his previous girlfriend, Janine Waterworth, in 1998. An inquest heard O’Hara had been assessed as a ‘high risk’ case, with triggers including relationship break-ups, jealousy and alcohol and drug abuse.

In another tragic Lancashire case, Chorley man David Edwards was killed by his new wife Sharon, who stabbed him to death with a kitchen knife.

During a trial in 2016, a jury was told that ‘domineering’ and ‘possessive’ Edwards had beaten her husband throughout the course of their brief relationship.

In the North West as a whole, 47 victims over the age of 16 have died in domestic incidents over the last two years - second only to Greater London.

There has also be a growth recorded in domestic abuse offences for the whole of England and Wales, with national figures saying they accounted for 11 per cent of all crimes in 2015/16, compared to 14 per cent last year.

But there has also been a fall of 11 per cent in the number of cases referred to prosecutors for consideration for charge despite the surge in crimes recorded, something Ms Khan described as ‘highly disappointing’.

Sandra Horley, chief executive of the national domestic abuse charity Refuge, said that the figures should serve as a serious wake-up call to the future government that domestic abuse is a major crime.

She said: “It is clear that the likelihood of women and girls experiencing domestic abuse at some point in their lives is increasing.

“This is devastating news given this time last year we knew 1 in 4 women would experience domestic abuse – this figure is edging towards 1 in 3. Alarmingly, incidents of domestic sexual assault are also increasing. This rise is set against a backdrop of lower conviction rates. These statistics are a national travesty.

“‘The only way to address violence against women and girls is to prioritise legislation which gives domestic abuse national attention, works to reduce the numbers whilst increasing funding and the number of specialist services to which women can turn to for support.

“Refuge calls on the future Government to bring the Domestic Abuse Bill back to parliament, and to work towards its swift passage into law. Women’s lives depend on it.”