4,600 incidents of domestic violence in county
Almost half of domestic abuse victims in Northamptonshire are repeat complainants who are forced to report the crime to police more than once.
Figures have revealed that during 2007, a total of 4,607 people reported incidents of domestic abuse at the hands of their spouses or partners, or members of their families.
Of those almost 50 per cent – 2,222 in total – were repeat victims who had already alerted police to the crime at least once before.
Northamptonshire Police has vowed to cut the number of persistent attackers by more than 350 in 2008, and in March, will set up a new policing unit dedicated to tackling the issue.
Insp Mark Behan, the force's lead on domestic violence, said there would be a "sea-change" in coming months in the way this type of crime was investigated.
But he added: "Because picking up the phone and calling the police is such a big step, it's very likely that most victims will be repeat victims, and we are now actively encouraging people who contact us to do so every time this kind of abuse happens. That's a very important step.
"We want to encourage victims to report incidents of domestic abuse, by letting them know that we can do something about it to improve their lives."
The force already works closely with local authorities, Victim Support and the Sunflower Centre, which helps victims of domestic abuse in the county, to try to cut the number of men and women who fall victim to violence in the home.
In March, a new Public Protection Unit (PPU) is to be created which will tackle domestic violence, child abuse and help manage dangerous offenders in a co-ordinated approach to this type of crime.
Glynis Bliss, manager of Northamptonshire Victim Support, said: "The nature of domestic abuse is so complex, because we are talking about relationships. People who report it often have to give up an awful lot to get out of that situation, so they need to know they have support from as many agencies as possible, be it the police, Victim Support, or housing."
elizabeth.lee@northantsnews.co.uk
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