South Wales Study Links Home Violence to Greater Police Contact 2026

Key Points

• According to the study in BMC Public Health, violent incidents occurring at the residence of the victim are associated with higher likelihood of utilization of both emergency room and police services in comparison with violence that occurs on the streets.
• Victims that were abused by their current or former partners were more likely to contact police than those that were attacked by a stranger.
• Violence at workplace demonstrated another trend since patients that ended up in emergency room were less likely to notify about the abuse to the police.
• Age and alcohol consumption have been linked to ER and police service utilization.
• According to the researchers, there is a need for additional approaches to encourage young victims of violence to seek medical care.
• Additionally, researchers pointed out that victims of violence at workplace and men may encounter some obstacles in reporting violent experiences to the police.
• The study was conducted by Anastasia Fadeeva with collaborators Emma R. Barton, Lara Snowdon, and Estela Capelas Barbosa and used data linkage between emergency room and police records in South Wales.
• The article “Service use following violence: insights from the linked administrative data in South Wales” was published online on November 3, 2026.

Wales (Wales Times) November 13, 2026 — A new study has found that people who experience violence at home are more likely to contact police in addition to attending an emergency department, while victims of workplace violence are less likely to involve police after seeking hospital care. The findings come from linked emergency department and police records in South Wales and have been published in BMC Public Health.

As reported by Ophelia Keating of Scienmag, the study examined how individual and situational factors affect whether victim-survivors use healthcare, police services, or both after a violent incident. The underlying research was conducted by Anastasia Fadeeva, Emma R. Barton, Lara Snowdon and Estela Capelas Barbosa, and was published by BMC Public Health on 3 November 2026.

What did the South Wales study find?

The researchers analysed linked administrative data from South Wales emergency departments and police services. Rather than examining records from one service alone, they compared incidents recorded only in police data, only in emergency department data, and in both datasets.

According to the study’s results, victims of violent incidents that occurred at their home, rather than on the street, were more likely to approach police in addition to the emergency department. The researchers also found that people who experienced violence from a current or former partner were more likely to contact police first than those who experienced violence from a stranger.

The study used adjusted logistic regression analysis to examine factors associated with contacting both services and with contacting police first. It considered victims’ sociodemographic characteristics as well as details of the violent incidents.

City, St George’s University of London’s research news service, City Vision, reported that incidents recorded in emergency department data were more likely to involve male and young victims, occur in more deprived areas, take place on the street and involve a stranger as the assailant. By contrast, the news service reported that incidents involving female victims were more prevalent in police data.

Why does home violence lead to more police contact?

The study does not state that home location itself causes police contact. Instead, it identifies an association between incidents occurring at a victim’s home and a higher likelihood that the victim used both emergency department and police services.

City Vision reported that when incidents happened at the victim’s home and the assailant was known to the victim, both services were more likely to be used. The researchers’ published results also state that victims of home-based violence were more likely to approach police in addition to the emergency department than victims of street violence.

The study’s authors said the research was intended to improve understanding of potential barriers and facilitators affecting victim-survivors’ use of healthcare and police support. They said such understanding is important for improving support for victims and informing violence-prevention initiatives.

How does partner violence affect reporting?

The research found that people subjected to violence by a current or former partner were more likely to approach police first than victims of violence by strangers. City Vision also reported that, where both services were accessed, the incidence of violence against women was higher among those who approached police first.

The study does not provide a single explanation for this pattern. Its stated purpose was to identify factors associated with service use, rather than to establish why particular victims chose one service before another.

The findings may be relevant to services that support people experiencing domestic abuse or partner violence, because they suggest that police contact can be an early point of engagement for some victims. However, the researchers’ published conclusions focus on the need for further measures to encourage young people to use services, rather than making a specific recommendation about partner-violence reporting.

What happens after workplace violence?

The study found a different service-use pattern for workplace violence. Victims who attended an emergency department after an incident at work were less likely to approach police.

City Vision reported that the researchers recommended identifying and addressing barriers to disclosing workplace violence. The published study likewise concluded that barriers to disclosing workplace violence should be identified and addressed.

The researchers also said research and policy should focus on barriers that prevent workplace victims and men from reporting violent incidents to police. These findings indicate that workplace incidents may be under-represented in police records relative to emergency department records, although the study presents associations rather than establishing the reasons behind them.

Which victims used both services?

The study found that older age and alcohol consumption were associated with the use of both emergency department and police services. City Vision reported the same association in its coverage of the research.

The researchers concluded that more measures are required to encourage young people to use services following violence. City Vision added that the researchers said policy and research should address barriers to police reporting among workplace victims and men.

The study’s findings are based on administrative records rather than direct interviews with victims. The authors noted that relying on a single data source can provide a partial and potentially biased picture of violence, while linking datasets offers a more comprehensive understanding but requires careful interpretation.

What are the study’s limitations?

The published abstract states that administrative data are often limited to people who use a particular service. By linking emergency department and police data, the researchers sought to examine factors associated with use of multiple services, or use of one service rather than another.

The study does not claim to explain every instance of violence or every decision by a victim to seek help. Its results identify associations between incident and victim characteristics and service use, based on records from South Wales.

City Vision reported that the linked data allowed researchers to identify incidents recorded only in emergency department data and incidents recorded in both emergency department and police data. The research team said this approach provides a broader view than single-service records, but that the resulting findings still require careful interpretation.

Background of the development

The study, titled Service use following violence: insights from the linked administrative data in South Wales, was authored by Anastasia Fadeeva, Emma R. Barton, Lara Snowdon and Estela Capelas Barbosa. It was published in BMC Public Health on 3 November 2026, with the DOI 10.1186/s12889-026-30031-6.

The research forms part of work by the VISION consortium, according to City Vision. The consortium’s researchers used linked emergency department and police data from South Wales to examine seasonal and annual changes in service use, as well as individual and contextual factors associated with healthcare and police support after violence.

The study’s stated background is that many people who experience violence may need support from healthcare or police services, but not all victims use those services. The authors said linked administrative data can help researchers examine patterns that single-service datasets cannot capture.

Prediction: what it may mean for victims and services

For victim-survivors in South Wales, the findings suggest that the setting of a violent incident and the relationship with the perpetrator may shape which services they contact first. Home-based violence and partner-related violence were associated with greater police involvement, while workplace violence was associated with lower police reporting among emergency department users.

For healthcare staff, police forces, domestic-abuse services and workplace safeguarding teams, the research highlights the potential value of coordinated approaches that recognise that victims may enter support systems through different routes. The study’s authors specifically called for measures to encourage young people to use services and for barriers to workplace disclosure to be identified and addressed.

For policymakers, the findings may support closer examination of how emergency departments, police forces and workplace reporting systems share information and refer people to appropriate support. The researchers cautioned, however, that linked data improve understanding but must be interpreted carefully, meaning the results should inform service planning rather than be treated as a complete explanation of victims’ decisions.