FOR some years now Lancashire police have taken a hands-on approach to tackling domestic violence.

One of the cornerstones of this policy was instructing an officer to make an arrest even when the victim did not want any action taken.

Today the force is seeking to build upon this work with a couple of groundbreaking schemes.

In a pilot CCTV cameras are being installed in the homes of battered wives to both deter and gather evidence of attacks.

Police are also handing out high-tech mobile phone-sized alarms containing GPS technology allowing police to know the exact location of a victim in need.

These measures seem very sensible and are much needed.

Despite police taking the massive strides forward in tackling domestic violence, too many offences are thought to be going un-reported.

In addition experts at the Blackburn Women’s Aid refuge centre say the number of known attacks has increased by 10 per cent this year.

They are blaming the impact of the country’s financial problems putting families under more pressure and sparking the violence.

With the public sector job losses set to kick in, this aspect may only be about to get worse.

So it is vital that the police keep on top of this menace.