WEST Mercia Police have reaffirmed their commitment to tackling domestic abuse in the county.

Domestic abuse can range from coercive behaviour, such as humiliation and assault, to denying a partner or family member access to money.

Police are encouraging victims to come forward, so officers can bring prosecutions.

Assistant chief constable Chris Singer said: "Domestic violence and abuse is under reported and we are encouraged that more men are reporting these crimes.

"Our aim is to give people the confidence to come forward in the knowledge that a full investigation will be carried out and they will be supported.

"West Mercia Police is committed to tackling domestic abuse and to delivering a better response for the victims of these traumatic crimes, no matter what their gender.

"To help us achieve this three harm assessment units have been established across the areas we serve.

"We do not work in silo and the specialist staff based in these units ensure information is exchanged with partner agencies and that support is provided to those at the highest risk of harm.

"We also work closely with a number of organisations that provide support services for both men and who are victims of domestic abuse.

"Training has also been put in place around the use of the domestic abuse, stalking and harassment risk assessment. These are completed for every victim of domestic violence and abuse.

"Domestic violence protection notices are widely used across the force. The notices give police the power to ban an offender from returning to the victim's home, which could also be their home, and to place further restrictions in order to protect a victim and any children that may be at risk.

"Part of our role is also raising awareness of these crimes. In November we ran a campaign about domestic abuse and coercive controlling behaviour. Our aim was to ensure victims, male and female, know how and where to seek advice and support."

For more details visit the domestic violence and abuse section of the West Mercia Police website, westmercia.police.uk.