A charitable organisation has cautioned that domestic violence has reached crisis proportions following the publication of a nationwide study.

Statistics reveal 347 deaths were linked to domestic violence during the year concluding in March 2025, according to figures from the NPCC’s Domestic Homicide Project across a five-year timeframe amounting to 1,452 fatalities.

Ellie Butt, holding the position of head of policy and public affairs at Refuge, remarked that domestic violence has reached crisis proportions, and tragically, the consequences are often fatal, as evidenced by the 347 deaths associated with domestic violence in the year ending March 2025.

This figure marks a rise compared with the previous twelve months and represents far more than statistics—behind these numbers lie hundreds of people whose lives were cut short.

Of the 347 people recorded as deceased during the most recent twelve-month span, investigators consider that numerous individuals took their own lives after suffering abuse.

A policy alteration introduced by law enforcement last year now requires officers to establish whether domestic violence played a role when attending to deaths by suicide and unexplained deaths.

This modification has led to additional cases being recognised and examined.

Refuge’s analysis indicates that while domestic homicide remains tragically common, those experiencing abuse are more likely to end their own lives than to be killed by a partner, which should serve as an urgent reminder not to underestimate the psychological harm caused by domestic violence.

Refuge recognised enhancements in how suicide cases are recorded but insists the true scale of the problem remains hidden.

The organisation cited research from a suicide prevention programme in Kent suggesting official figures could reflect as little as 6.5 percent of real occurrences.

Refuge maintained that no person should ever feel that taking their own life is the only way out of an abusive situation.

Working alongside other groups in the sector, the organisation is calling for any suicide linked to abuse to be treated as a potential homicide from the outset.

This must incorporate mandatory trauma-informed training for police officers on the complexities of domestic violence, alongside greater collaboration between organisations to safeguard survivors of abuse.

Without such steps, domestic violence will continue destroying lives.