A police chief says Cumbria has a "cultural" problem with domestic violence - and among some people it is "accepted practice".

Detective Superintendent Vicki Ellis said violence towards partners and in the home was still a taboo subject at times in the county.

She stressed police would not tolerate abuse - and victims were the force's priority.

Det Supt Ellis was speaking at a meeting of senior crimefighters as the build up continued to Christmas, often seen as a flashpoint time for domestic abuse.

Police in Cumbria have recorded four deaths linked to domestic violence in the county since 2010.

Thousands of people have been injured or harmed during assaults by their partners or spouses.

A further 278 people have been raped in an incident linked to domestic abuse, in addition to 162 other sexual offences.

Det Supt Ellis said: "Domestic abuse won't be tolerated and it won't be accepted. That is our stance.

"We need to get ahead of the game and think early action, early intervention."

The meeting was told a high proportion of victims had suffered at the hands of partners before.

Det Supt Ellis said this was "quite startling".

Cumbria's assistant chief constable, Mark Webster, stressed the wide-ranging impact of domestic abuse - including on children.

"It impacts on educational attainment, it impacts on child mental health services," he said. "There is an issue here."

Det Supt Ellis said there was a "cultural inter generational issue across Cumbria".

"It's seen among some as accepted practice," she said.

"It's seen as a taboo subject. Nobody wants to talk about it.

"I want to talk about it. We have to say this is not accepted."

The meeting - of Cumbria Crime Commissioner Peter McCall's public accountability conference - was held at the force's headquarters, near Penrith.


New methods being used by police

  • Body-worn cameras are now used by officers responding to incidents linked to domestic violence while the police also deploy covert tactics when communicating with victims.
  • Addresses where a domestic violence incident has been recorded in the past are red flagged on the force computer system to ensure future calls receive priority and an urgent response.
  • More than 100 people were warned by the force last year that their partner had a violent past.
  • The force is able to use powers called domestic violence prevention notices which ban a perpetrator from going back to an address for 48 hours - even when no formal charges are to be brought.
  • For the county's high risk victims, a multi-agency risk assessment conference takes place regularly where information about known cases are discussed and monitored.

They are attended by police officers, social services, domestic abuse advisors and health and care representatives.


Helping attackers turn over a new leaf

Turning the Spotlight is a course run by Victim Support and funded by the office of Mr McCall.

It aims to help perpetrators of crime, including domestic abuse, understand their behaviour and make permanent changes.

Mr McCall, believes helping perpetrators - or potential perpetrators - to change their ways is key to tackling domestic abuse in Cumbria.

The scheme runs across the whole of Cumbria.

Although people can be referred by other services, they can also get in touch directly if they feel they need help.

The course for perpetrators is a programme helping them identify why they behave in a certain way, understand emotions and learn different techniques to address that.

They also look at the wider family picture to see if there are other issues, such as a recent redundancy, financial hardship, drug and alcohol issues, mental health, homelessness or anything else.

They also work to educate people, including young people across the county, about healthy relationships.

Since Turning the Spotlight was launched in 2015, the service has had about 500 referrals.

Many of these people have now completed the course and are said to have changed their lives as a result.


Raising awareness

Cumbria Police are seeking to raise awareness of the different types of domestic abuse in the run up to Christmas.

They stress that it doesn't have to involve violence and are urging anyone who is aware of abuse to speak out.

Officers stress domestic abuse can be coercive, emotional, verbal, financial or harassing behaviour.

They add specially trained officers will deal with any reports in a sensitive and professional manner.

Anyone who would like to report domestic abuse should call Cumbria Police on 101, email 101@cumbria.police.uk or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.