Sarnia police say there's a number of factors to consider when dealing with domestic and family dispute calls.
Officers investigated a total of 33 incidents on the weekend of June 7-9, and 26 the weekend before.
Sarnia Cst. John Sottosanti said in the past they've noticed a spike during periods of bad weather. He says alcohol, addiction and finances are often contributing factors as well.
Cst. Sottosanti said from January through April, there were 513 domestic disputes, up from 485 for the same time period in 2018.
"They can range from anything from custody matters to people going through separations, said Sottosanti. "There's not always a physical element to these, actually the majority of the time there is not a physical element to it. It could be a neighbour calling saying I can hear the couple next door yelling and screaming, or someone calls for advice. That would still be considered a domestic matter because of the fact that the two individuals involved are in an intimate relationship."
Family dispute calls are also up, by 15.5 per cent. There were 217 incidents in the first four months of the year, compared to 188 for the same time frame last year.
