A drop in reported incidents is often seen as success. But what if it isn’t?
What if it reflects fewer victims coming forward, not less abuse?
We know many victims never report to police. And even the wider data we rely on doesn’t always capture repeat victimisation in full.
So what does “success” actually look like?
From my perspective, both professionally and personally, it isn’t silence.
As a survivor, I never reported to the police. Not because I didn’t trust them, but because reporting is only the beginning of a much longer journey, one that couldn’t guarantee the safety I needed. That matters. Because victims are weighing up whether to report alongside what happens next.
If we want to measure success honestly, we need to look beyond reduced numbers and focus on something harder to quantify:
- Trust
- Confidence
- Whether victims feel safer for engaging with the system.
When Falling Domestic Abuse Figures Aren’t Good News
A reduction in domestic abuse figures is often presented as progress. Fewer incidents. Fewer reports. A sign that prevention is working. But what if that’s not the full picture?
Domestic abuse remains one of the most underreported crimes. Data from the Office for National Statistics, including insights from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, consistently shows that many victims never contact the police at all. For those who do, it is rarely the first incident, it is often one of many, and often after a significant escalation.
Even these broader measures have limitations. Survey data has historically capped the number of repeat incidents recorded per victim, meaning high-frequency abuse is not fully captured. So while these figures offer a wider lens than police data alone, they still do not tell the whole story.
When we see a drop in reported incidents, we need to ask a harder question: Are we seeing less abuse – or less reporting? Because those are not the same things.
For a victim, reporting domestic abuse is not a simple or straightforward decision. It carries risk. It can escalate harm. It can affect housing, finances, children, and immigration status. It can mean navigating a system that feels complex, slow, or, at times, inconsistent in its response.
Confidence in that system matters.
If victims believe they will be protected, taken seriously, and supported through the process, they are more likely to come forward. If they do not, they are more likely to remain silent. And silence does not mean safety.
It is also important to be clear about where that lack of confidence sits. Underreporting is not necessarily a reflection of the police response. Policing practice around domestic abuse has improved significantly. Officers are better trained, risk is more consistently identified, and safeguarding is more embedded than it has been in the past.
At NCDV, we have several passionate staff with backgrounds in policing, and we work in partnership with forces across England and Wales. We know how committed they are to protecting victims. But victims are not only deciding whether to report to the police. They are weighing up what comes next.
The criminal justice process can be long, complex, and, at times, retraumatising. Outcomes are uncertain. Convictions can be difficult to secure. And for many, the question is not simply “will I be believed?” but “will I actually be safer for going through this?”
There is also a more personal reality that sits behind this. As a survivor of domestic abuse, who did not engage with the criminal justice system, it was not because I did not trust the police. It was because I understood that reporting would only ever be the beginning of a much longer process, one that could not guarantee the outcome I needed to feel safe.
For me, that uncertainty mattered. And it will matter for many others.
The decision to report is not just about seeking an immediate response, it is about weighing the risks, the process, and the possible outcomes. For some, the uncertainty of that journey is enough to prevent them from taking that step at all.
In many areas, success is still measured by reductions in recorded incidents. But in the context of domestic abuse, that measure is incomplete, and potentially misleading. Because a system that victims trust should not necessarily see fewer reports in the short term.
It may, in fact, see more. More disclosures. More first-time reports. More victims choosing to seek help earlier. That is not failure. That is visibility.
It is also an opportunity, because once abuse is visible, it can be responded to. Safeguards and support can be put in place. Legal protections can be pursued. Risk can be managed. Without that visibility, none of those things happen.
If we are serious about tackling domestic abuse, we need to be equally serious about how we define success. Not just fewer recorded incidents. But greater victim confidence. Stronger reporting pathways. Consistent and effective responses. And, ultimately, meaningful protection.
Because in this context, success is not silence. It is trust, not just in reporting, but in what happens next.
Sally Herzog
Training & Engagement Manager, NCDV