The police received 12,548 reports of domestic violence between 2013 and May of this year, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri told Parliament on Monday.

He was replying to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina.

Between January and May of this year, 690 reports were received.

Camilleri said all reports were investigated and, when a crime was found to have been committed, the perpetrators were arraigned in court.

Replying to a different question, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard said presently there are 52 scheduled sittings on domestic violence. These are also presided over by Magistrate Lara Lanfranco. There are also a number of other cases that are in compilation stage.

There are 153 cases that go beyond the competence of the original magistrate’s courts and which are being heard by 12 other magistrates.