More than 100 prosecutions related to domestic abuse in the last six weeks

There have been 110 prosecutions for domestic violence crimes in the past six weeks, accounting for half of all prosecutions under Operation Faoiseamh since April.

Gardaí launched Operation Faoiseamh on April 1 this year with the goal of providing more proactive support to victims of domestic abuse during the pandemic.

There have been 217 prosecutions as part of this operation since April for breach of order under the Domestic Violence Act of 2018.

Gardaí said there have been 20,699 contacts or attempts to contact victims of domestic abuse related to incidents reported between January 1 and October 12 of this year.

There has been a 17% increase in calls for assistance with domestic problems between 2019 and 2020.

Gardaí said the operation will continue through Christmas.

Chief Superintendent of Detectives Declan Daly of the Garda Office of National Protective Services encouraged anyone who experiences abuse or who knows someone who has been abused to contact Gardaí.

“A Garda Síochána is aware of the fear and concern that some in our community have during the Covid restrictions,” Daly said.

“We continue to aggressively provide assistance and support to victims of domestic abuse and all vulnerable victims.”