ALL types of abuse are abhorrent.

But when it comes to coercive control it almost seems crueller and more deliberate.

Victims often miss the signs at the beginning and only realise they are in need of help when it is too late.

According to statistics released under freedom of information laws, arrests for the offence in Cumbria have trebled in the three years since it became a crime at the end of 2015.

Data showed there were 39 people arrested for coercive or controlling behaviour in an intimate of family setting in the year after it was criminalised.

The following year there were 74 arrests and 130 recorded in 2018.

But, only 15 per cent of the people arrested were eventually charged.

It is great more prosecutions are happening and more offenders are facing justice but we need to remember there are also more victims out there.

As a community we should take a stand against this sort of behaviour and not turn a blind eye to it.

We have all been in a pub and noticed that couple acting strangely.

By making coercive control a moral taboo we can hopefully reduce the number of victims and help highlight the warning signs for those at risk.

So come on South Cumbria, don't turn a blind eye.

After all, one day, it could be someone you love who needs your help.