Understanding the Geospatial and Contextual Patterns of Rural Domestic Abuse: Research Briefing Paper

In 2020, 9.7 million people in England and almost 1 million people in Wales lived in rural areas (Defra 2021). 1 The latest population estimates suggest that in mid-2020 almost half a million people lived in Cumbria (ONS 2021), which is described by the Office for National Statistics (2016) as a ‘predominantly rural’ county. Although Cumbria’s landscape is dominated by rural towns and villages, the concentration of people in urban centres means that the resident population of Cumbria is almost equally split between urban (47%) and rural (53%) areas (ONS 2017). A growing body of international research evidence suggests that the persistence of traditional values, rural isolation, and limited support services mean that rural victims may wait longer before seeking help, enduring more serious violence, than those in urban areas (DeKeseredy 2021; Little 2016; National Rural Crime Network 2019). There is, however, a dearth of research on the needs and experiences of domestic abuse (DA) victims in rural parts of England and Wales. This research was funded by the Home Office Police Science, Technology, Analysis and Research (STAR) Fund to examine the geospatial and contextual patterns of DA in the predominantly rural county of Cumbria. This Research Briefing Paper presents findings from our analysis of: data from all DA-related incidents and crimes recorded by Cumbria Constabulary between 1 April 2019 and 30 September 2021; data on DA-related referrals to Victim Support in Cumbria during the same period; and interviews with 42 local practitioners. Copies of the main Research Findings Report are available from the research team. That much DA goes unreported to, or unrecorded by, the police is well known. That data from Cumbria Constabulary and partners reflect reporting and recording practices, and not some objective reality, should be kept in mind when reflecting upon the findings. In our report, we document efforts to get behind the ‘dark figure’ of DA to better understand the nature, extent and geospatial distribution of DA in Cumbria.