POLICE are issuing cameras to officers to tackle an expected 40 per cent increase in domestic violence over Christmas.

Dozens of cameras are being issued by Cleveland Police to ensure the aftermath of attacks are captured on film.

Last year, 10,000 cases were reported to the force, with 6,000 sufferers turning out to be repeat victims.

Incidents of domestic violence are expected to rise by 40 per cent on Teesside as pressures within families increase in the build-up to Christmas.

The police said the 35mm cameras were to ensure injuries and property damage were recorded immediately.

Funded by a Government grant, each of the four policing districts on Teesside will be issued with 20 cameras and 270 reels of film. Other cameras will go to refuges in the area, because victims often go there rather than contact police.

Superintendent Mick Sedlatschek, the head of the Community Development Department, said the aim was to ensure every patrol vehicle was equipped with a camera to be used by officers attending a domestic violence incident.

He said: "It will prove invaluable to show exactly what injuries people have suffered and damage inflicted at their homes. Statistics show that the first report to the police is only made after the victim has suffered up to 30 previous beatings and, even then, a lot of sufferers want to withdraw complaints either because of duress put on them or the tempestuous relationships they have."

Supt Sedlatschek said the Crown Prosecution Service was looking at taking on a number of unsupported prosecutions in various areas, and said the camera evidence could help make the people responsible for such attacks answer for their crimes.

He said people often dismissed the seriousness of domestic violence, and said: "It has to be remembered that such action leads to 150 deaths a year nationally, and in our society, it is certainly not acceptable."