The Scottish Government has released the latest figures on reports to the police of domestic violence across the country. Reports from gay and lesbian couples rose higher than among straight couples.

A break down of the 60,080 incidents of domestic violence across Scotland has shown an increase in the number of male victims with a female perpetrator as well as an increase among both lesbian and gay couples.

Police were reported 6.9% more incidents of domestic abuse between female couples and a 1.21% increase among male couples. Overall reporting rates are 0.5% higher among all couples, straight or gay.

Same-gender couples make up 2.3% of all domestic violence reports. A recent Office of National Statistics study found that 1.5% of the UK population admits to being gay, lesbian or bisexual.

Shona Robison, Scottish minister for equalities said: “Ms Robison said: “No one should doubt our determination and commitment to tackle domestic abuse. These incidences of violence remain far too prevalent in our society and advances in technology have created new means for some people to abuse and exploit others.

“That is why we are taking action to help victims of such attacks and are delivering substantial financial support to help victims and prevent abuse from happening in the first place.

“We are developing a new strategy to tackle Violence Against Women in modern Scotland and I welcome the proactive and resolute response to domestic abuse from Police Scotland who have made tackling domestic abuse and rape two of their top three priorities.

“In our strategy we also plan more help and support for victims going through the justice system by putting their interests at the heart of these on-going improvements.

“These figures demonstrate once again the need to abolish the requirement for corroboration in criminal trials. This is a barrier to obtaining justice for the victims of crimes committed in private or where no-one else was there.

“Abolition alone will not resolve the problems in addressing sexual crime. That is why we are working with all our partners to make sure that victims have the confidence to come forward, that the criminal justice system serves these victims as well as it can and to change attitudes so that crimes like domestic abuse are seen by everyone as the utterly abhorrent crimes they are. At the very least, it will allow crimes committed in private, where the victim has suffered in silence, or behind closed doors, to be brought to court.”