Domestic Abusers Identified

Kent police say they have identified more than 400 serial offenders of domestic abuse in the county.

The 389 men and 36 women have had a marker put against their name on the force's crime database, are known to have assaulted two or more of their partners.

The marker lets officers know that the offender has already come to the attention of police in relation to domestic abuse, and makes it easier for them to intervene earlier.

About a fifth of all violent crime in Kent is related to domestic abuse and police deal with nearly 22,000 incidents a year - the equivalent of 60 a day.

The Head of the Public Protection Unit, Detective Superintendent Maria Shepherd, said: "By focusing on serial perpetrators police around the country can track relationships where victims or children are at risk and intervene before anyone is hurt. This is particularly important where offenders move outside county boundaries.

 "Once we've identified a serial perpetrator and he or she moves onto a new relationship, we can make a decision about whether we should let their new partner know about the offender's violent background.

The moves are designed to protect potential victims and also to encourage offenders to get help to break their cycle of crime.

DS Shepherd said: "Our ultimate aim is to reduce the amount of domestic abuse in our community, make it unacceptable and therefore improve the quality of people's lives."