Southampton MP Alan Whitehead on the Domestic Abuse bill

Alan Whitehead, who represents the Test constituency, said it is "worrying" that crimes of this nature have boomed in Hampshire.

This comes after it was reported that 25,791 offences were recorded by county police in 2020-21 – up 55% when compared to 2015-16.

He said that the Government bill, that was formally passed by Parliament in April, has "significant gaps" and "doesn't protect all women".

Alan Whitehead - UK Parliament official portraits 2017.

Mr Whitehead said: "Southampton has unfortunately always had higher than average levels of Domestic Abuse and it's worrying to see it get worse during lockdown.

"We need to do much more to tackle this and although the government have made a start with the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Bill, this still has significant gaps and doesn't protect all women."

Domestic abuse made up 18% of all offences recorded by Hampshire Constabulary between 2020-21.

That is the equivalent of 13 for every 1,000 people in the area, up from 12 the previous year.

And the county has seen a 55% rise in domestic abuse offences since 16,631 were logged in 2015-16, when records began.

The Government bill aims to promote awareness; protect and support victims, including by introducing a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Order; transform the justice response, including by helping victims to give their best evidence in the criminal courts; and improve performance of officers responding to these offences.

Cases handled by Hampshire Constabulary were not likely to end with a suspect before the courts, with 7% concluding with a charge or summons.

Around 80% of county cases were closed due to problems gathering evidence in 2020-21, with 45% abandoned because the victim did not wish to support the investigation.

The Echo has contacted Hampshire Constabulary to ask what is being done to prevent domestic abuse, but the force did not meet the deadline for this newspaper.