Suffolk has seen a significant drop in reported domestic abuse crimes, with 7,612 cases recorded in the year to March 2023, down from 9,215 the previous year. However, only one in 12 of these crimes resulted in charges being brought.
Why it matters: Domestic abuse affects thousands of families across Suffolk, with police figures showing more than 20 incidents are reported each day on average.
By the numbers:
7,612 domestic abuse crimes recorded in Suffolk (2022-23)
17% decrease from the previous year
8% of cases resulted in charges
Three domestic homicides were recorded in Suffolk between 2021-23
Only one in 12 domestic abuse claims have resulted in a charge in SuffolklolostockGetty Images
The national picture:
851,062 domestic abuse crimes recorded across England and Wales
2.3 million people are estimated to have experienced domestic abuse
353 domestic homicides recorded nationally
65% of homicide victims were women
New protection measures: The government is introducing new domestic abuse protection notices and orders (DAPNs and DAPOs) that will:
Have no time limit, unlike current 28-day restrictions
Cover all forms of domestic abuse
Allow friends and family to apply on the victims' behalf
Include exclusion zones
Require abusers to attend behaviour change programmes
Carry up to five-year prison sentences for breaches
What they're saying: Sarika Seshadi, head of research at Women's Aid, said: "With over one in four women over 16 experiencing domestic abuse in their lifetime, and at least one woman being killed by her current or former male partner a week, it is clear that urgent action towards domestic abuse needs to be taken."
Francesca Easter is a partner at local law firm Ellisons and specialises in family law. She has seen firsthand the impact that domestic abuse can have on victims and the challenges they face when seeking support. She welcomes the DAPN and DAPO trials but highlights the importance of "proper funding and enforcement."
Domestic abuse remains a devastating issue for countless families across Suffolk, and many victims still face huge challenges in coming forward and being supported.
The fact that only 8% of cases lead to charges is deeply concerning, but the introduction of trials for Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Orders is a positive step.
However, it’s essential that there’s proper funding and enforcement if DAPNs and DAPOs are going to make a meaningful impact.
What's next: The new protection orders will be trialled in several areas, including Greater Manchester and three London boroughs, before being rolled out nationally, including in Suffolk.
The bottom line: While reported domestic abuse crimes have decreased in Suffolk, low prosecution rates remain a concern as new measures are introduced to strengthen victim protection.
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The National Crime Agency's crackdown on high street businesses suspected of links to organised crime has made headlines in Shrewsbury but remains conspicuously absent in Ipswich, despite remarkably similar retail patterns.
A pattern emerging elsewhere
While Ipswich residents have yet to witness raids on local businesses, a stark scene is unfolding elsewhere: officers forcing their way into brightly-coloured barber shops, vape stores, minimarts, candy stores and phone repair shops that have proliferated across town centres.
Last month, the National Crime Agency (NCA) coordinated 265 raids on such premises across England and Wales as part of Operation Machinize, targeting high street businesses suspected of being fronts for international crime gangs – but it remains unclear if Suffolk, or Ipswich, has been part of this operation.
Oliver Rouane-WilliamsIpswich.co.uk
Shrewsbury and Ipswich: towns with similar profiles
In Shrewsbury, a market town not dissimilar to Ipswich, officers detained two Kurdish asylum seekers during raids on barber shops, seizing thousands of pounds in cash and illicit vapes. The intelligence suggested these establishments were linked to money laundering, illegal immigration and drug dealing.
The parallels between Shrewsbury and Ipswich are difficult to ignore. Both are historic county towns with traditional market squares, and a mix of independent and chain retailers. Both have experienced the same influx of barber shops, vape stores, minimarts, candy stores and phone repair shops on their high street.
Yet while Shrewsbury has seen decisive action, Ipswich residents have yet to witness any comparable enforcement activity. At least not visibly. And if it has, it has yet to make any difference.
The Ipswich landscape
According to commercial property analysts Green Street, the average number of barbers per person in England and Wales has doubled in the past decade.
Walk through Ipswich town centre and the changing retail landscape is evident – multiple barber shops, vape outlets, phone repair shops and sweet shops often within yards of each other, typically with very few visible customers.
It is important to note that we are not suggesting any specific businesses in Ipswich are engaged in illegal activity. The presence of these shops alone does not indicate wrongdoing, and many could be legitimate businesses.
But questions should be asked. And questions are being asked – repeatedly – by residents.
The scale of the problem
The National Crime Agency estimates that £12 billion in illicit cash is laundered in the UK annually, with lots of it flowing through criminal front organisations on high streets.
These businesses appeared to surge as shop vacancies grew following the pandemic, creating opportunities for criminal gangs to establish themselves in plain sight.
The suspicious signs are easy to spot: businesses claiming implausible income levels, unpaid utility bills despite supposed high turnover, and the sale of illicit products like illegal vapes and tobacco.
In Greater Manchester, linked mini-marts were found to be staffed by asylum seekers, some working illegally, with hidden compartments concealing contraband.
What Operation Machinize uncovered
During Operation Machinize, authorities discovered cannabis farms, seized Class A drugs, arrested 35 people and questioned 55 suspected illegal immigrants. Three potential victims of modern slavery were identified. Bank accounts worth over £1 million were frozen and £40,000 in cash seized.
Detective Inspector Daniel Fenn, who led raids in Shrewsbury as part of the operation, said: "Members of the public are angry. They can see these fronts are there. The criminals feel they are hidden here. They think they can come to sleepy areas and won't be found."
The same could easily be said of Ipswich.
The pattern of exploitation is particularly concerning – the NCA believes some shops are used as fronts for drug-trafficking, people-smuggling, modern slavery and child sexual exploitation. In 2023, it secured the conviction of one Iranian Kurdish barber shop owner who was using his London premises as a base for smuggling 10,000 people to the UK in small boats.
Impact on legitimate businesses
Legitimate barbers are calling for a registration scheme and stricter regulation. Gareth Penn, chief executive of the Hair and Barber Council, highlighted how illegal barbers have led to fungal infections from improperly cleaned equipment.
More importantly, though, is the damage being done to genuine businesses that cannot compete with those avoiding costs and taxes, and those that cannot find suitable high street premises.
The damage is significant and potentially long-lasting.
Will Ipswich be next?
For Ipswich, the question now is whether Operation Machinize will visibly extend to Suffolk – or indeed, whether it already has without public knowledge.
Unlike local police forces, the National Crime Agency is exempt from Freedom of Information requests, making it impossible for journalists or the public to determine how many Ipswich businesses, if any, have been investigated.
This distinction is important.
While local police forces handle everyday law enforcement, the NCA was specifically created to tackle serious and organised crime that extends across police force boundaries, international borders, or requires specialist capabilities.
Their involvement signals that these high street businesses are not merely local issues but part of sophisticated criminal networks operating nationally and internationally.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis has stated that "high street crime undermines our security, our borders, and the confidence of our communities", promising "decisive action" to bring those responsible to justice.
The road ahead
There are concerns about the effectiveness of current measures. Of the 265 raids conducted, only 10 shops have been shut down permanently. Many businesses raided were back operating within minutes of officers leaving.
The challenge for authorities extends beyond individual shops to dismantling the organised crime networks behind them – networks that may have been profiting in plain sight for years on our high streets. While local police forces can target individual businesses, only the NCA has the mandate and resources to tackle the international networks behind them.
For Ipswich residents concerned about these issues, the prospect of action against suspicious businesses cannot come soon enough. However, due to the secretive nature of NCA operations, we may never know the full extent of their activities in our town – only their results, if and when they choose to make them public.
