THE recession is being blamed for a 25 per cent leap it domestic violence.
Det Insp Sean McMahon, who was brought in from Sheffield to run the public protection unit, said the figures had jumped since the 3,971 cases of domestic abuse which were reported to police in 2010/11.
He said a large chunk of his unit's workload was dealing with domestic abuse, with offences ranging from threatening behaviour and violence, to psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse.
He said: "The complete picture is economically and financially people are feeling the pinch and it's no doubt having an impact on domestic violence figures.
"It's a hidden crime and so pervasive but you cannot deal with it until it's reported. The district is also suffering a small increase with violent crime associated with domestic abuse."
The increase in incidents mirrors the number of people now seeking help for domestic abuse.
The Pathways centre, on Peel Parade, has seen a huge rise in clients, with more than 1,000 turning to the service for support this year alone.
Sue Stokes, 60, project manager at Pathways, said: "We're up to more than 1,000 clients and our intake is going up by about ten per cent a year," she said.
She too believes the recession has played a part in the rise in people accessing help, as more people find themselves out of work and under financial stress.
"We always knew the recession was going to be deep when it hit and that it would impact on people's lives in lots of ways," added Sue, who has been with the support service since 2001.
Domestic abuse is thought to cost the borough almost £29million a year, according to figures in Barnsley Council's three-year plan to tackle the problem.
It shows the criminal justice system, police and civil legal costs make up part of the multi-million pound sum, but almost £12million is spent on physical health care for victims of domestic abuse in the borough.
