Yvette Cooper says Labour would ensure police forces publish domestic abuse league tables © PA

 Convictions for domestic violence have fallen dramatically across Dorset, despite more of the incidents being reported to police.

Last year just 7% (599 of 8183) of reported domestic violence incidents led to convictions by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), a drop from 9% in 2010.

This contradicts statistics released last month showing a huge soar in domestic violence incidents across the county with a 38% increase in the last six years.

The data was gathered by the office of Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, who said Labour would ensure police forces published domestic and sexual abuse league tables.

“The scale of domestic abuse is shocking, yet the government and the Home Secretary have turned their backs,” she said.

“This is not a fringe issue. It accounts for one in five violent crimes committed across the country with two million victims every year; it puts lives at risk, scars children and destroys families.”

The news comes just a week after Clare’s Law was launched across the country to help tackle domestic abuse.

The law was named after Clare Wood who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in 2009 and will allow women to find out whether partners have a history of domestic violence.

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, Martyn Underhill has welcomed Clare’s Law after he promised voters he would bring it to Dorset as part of his manifesto.

“I welcome the adoption of Clare’s Law which will give people the opportunity to make an educated decision about the future of their relationship.

“It will also strengthen the framework around the release of information about the violent past of partners. This is a valuable tool in our work to pre-empt domestic violence.

“Clare’s Law will allow people to seek the information they need to escape an abusive situation before it ends in tragedy.

“Domestic violence is complex, deep-rooted and societal. It is a huge problem and one that we need to address very seriously at every level,” added Mr Underhill.