ROBOCAMS are to be used for recording the devastating effect of domestic violence.

As police forces across the region tackle the scourge, two head cameras will be taken to homes to record the aftermath of an attack.

Hartlepool officers will be using the equipment for the first time in a police crackdown on domestic abuse.

The addition of the £900 cameras comes as figures are due to be released for the Christmas and New Year period, with alcohol the biggest factor behind incidents.

Sergeant Helen Eustace, domestic violence officer for Hartlepool police, said: "These cameras will help in unsupported prosecutions, where the victim does not want to press charges.

"The video footage will show the state of the property, the victim's injuries, and the whole aftermath of the event."

Meanwhile, the Safer Hartlepool Partnership has launched a campaign to highlight the problems.

Operation Drink Safe has the backing of Cleveland Police, North Tees Women's Aid and North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust.

The NHS trust's general manager for emergency care, Stephen Groves, said: "This poster campaign spreads the message that there is no excuse for domestic violence, so don't make one.

"Excessive alcohol intake contributes to the rise in domestic violence at this time of year."

Inspector Peter Knights, of Cleveland Police, said: "Frequently, we attend homes when alcohol is used as a feeble excuse for domestic violence.

"We won't accept that excuse, nor will we accept the bullying and intimidation that victims fear.

"Whenever possible, we will arrest offenders and put them before the courts."

National statistics show that one in four women and one in six men will become victims of domestic violence during their lifetime.

Hartlepool had nearly 3,000 recorded incidents of domestic violence among families last year, out of a total of just over 13,000 for the whole of the Cleveland area.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said the force dealt with 5,392 incidents last year.

A Durham Police spokesman said the problem was "year-round, not just seasonal" and there were about 8,000 reported domestic violence incidents last year.