Every police officer in the Keighley division will be receiving special training as part of a hard-hitting crackdown on domestic violence.

And, as a new strategy is launched in the division next week, officers are set to step up efforts to cut down repeated abuse in the home. Keighley police community safety officer Inspector Mick Hopwood said: "Domestic violence is the single largest category of violent crime, accounting for a third of all assaults across the country. In this division, 26 per cent of violent crime is domestic related."

In July, police were called to 91 domestic incidents in the Keighley area - 61 of which involved people they had dealt with before.

Insp Hopwood said: "Of the 61 repeat visits, 29 had been visited five or more times before, giving a total of 233 visits to those 29 people." Statistics reveal that 95 per cent of all domestic violence victims are women who may suffer up to 35 attacks before contacting the police.

On average a victim may stay in an abusive relationship for eight to 10 years before getting out.

A strategy has been drawn up by the division which, with Police Authority funding, has appointed DC Jackie Doherty as a domestic violence co-ordinator. She will work in partnership with other agencies as a referral scheme to Keighley Domestic Violence Forum is set up.

DC Doherty is making a series of presentations to doctors' practises throughout the district to increase awareness of the issue and offer a point of contact.

She said: "We will vigorously enforce the law at domestic incidents, while giving sympathetic support to the victims.

"We will also seek to identify potential victims in order to reduce the opportunities for those incidents to occur.

"I would appeal to victims not to be frightened to get in touch with us - help is on hand."

Leaflets and posters will be on display throughout the area giving information about the new unit and urging victims to seek help.

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