Reports of domestic violence increased from 1,645 to 2,071 in four years, figures tabled in parliament on Monday revealed.

According to the data provided to parliamentarians, in 2020, there were 1,645 reports, followed by 1,741 in 2021 and 1,828 in 2022.

The figures were provided by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri in a reply to a parliamentary question by Opposition MP Darren Carabott.

The number of pending domestic violence cases came under renewed scrutiny following the murder of the mother-of-two Bernice Cassar, who was shot on her way to work back in November 2022. She was awaiting a court hearing at the time of her murder allegedly at the hands of her estranged husband.

Cassar had filed multiple police reports against her ex-husband. Days before she was killed, her lawyer pleaded with the police to take action against her ex-husband for breaching a protection order.

An inquiry into Cassar's death concluded that the state 'system' failed the 40-year-old mother-of-two, particularly because of a lack of resources and a heavy caseload.

Camilleri said in the past few days, the first domestic violence and gender-based violence centre opened its doors in Santa Luċia, and that a second hub is expected to open in the north of the island.

The establishment of the domestic violence hub was one of the many recommendations made by retired judge Geoffrey Valenzia in the inquiry.