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More than a third of arrests across Bolton last year were related to incidents of domestic abuse, police data has revealed. The statistics were revealed at the council's corporate and external issues scrutiny committee meeting on Monday, April 14, which discussed the GMP Bolton District Report. The report noted that of 6,132 arrests made in Bolton last year, 2,249 were related to domestic abuse.
However, reported cases of domestic abuse (8,039) was said to be 7.9 per cent lower than in previous years. Speaking at the meeting, Chief Superintendent Helen Critchley said: “The total number of arrests for last year is slightly down than the previous year, this isn’t something that we are majorly concerned about.
"Some of this is driven by our child-centred policing and using more alternatives to arrests for those it is appropriate for.” READ MORE: Police staff member used work phone to contact sex workers on and off duty Two men arrested after knifepoint robbery in Bolton town centre Latest round-up of GMP misconduct cases revealed by force The force also dealt with 1,280 mental health incidents last year, which was slightly down. In total, 31,515 crimes were recorded across the borough last year.
A figure of 892 hate crimes was also logged, with Chief Supt Critchley citing “concerns of crimes going underreported in this area". In terms of staff, the force's Bolton district has a total of 132 response police constables, who attend to emergencies and priority calls, 18 response sergeants, 38 neighbourhood officers supported by nine neighbourhood sergeants, 11 inspectors and 320 police constables. New to the district was the domestic investigations district team, which has been equipped with 12 officers.
The borough force was able to meet and exceed its yearly targets for rates relating to serious crimes including rape, serious violence, personal robbery and vehicle crime. However, targets were not met for child protection, which fell 2.1 per cent short of its 13.
3 per cent yearly target. Chief Supt Critchley added: “These targets have been missed, but it's not for want of trying, we have absolutely been pushing ourselves to the limits to achieve those targets. “We have seen significant improvements in the last quarter, just not quite enough for that 12-month rate.
“Where we haven’t met for the year, we are currently improving and would meet those targets based on current performance. “For anyone experiencing domestic abuse, please do reach out to us, we are here and we can help you.”.
