DURHAM Police will be placing domestic abuse under the spotlight this week and encouraging more victims to come forward.

The drive, coinciding with the Association of Chief Police Officer Domestic Abuse Awareness Week, will see stalls set up in supermarkets throughout the county to promote services and local campaigns.

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg said: “We see week as an opportunity to drive forward the region’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy.

“We will be highlighting how to better report domestic abuse and how the police service and other partners can take action to support the victims.”

Mr Hogg said the force had thrown its weight behind Clare’s Law, which entitles woman to check the police records of their partners.

He added: “We are also stressing the importance of Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) coming out in April.

“It is a significant change in direction. I nearly got myself strung up in the early 90s for suggesting they should close all the refuges and put the perpetrators in there.

“But these DVPOs allow us to actually evict a perpetrator from the home, rather than evicting victim and her children as is the case at the minute.

“That will give us discreet period of time to work to provide support and assistance to the victim.

“It also gives us powers of arrest should the offender seek to breach any of the conditions.”

PCSO’s, specials and victim support will man stalls in Asda in Peterlee and Stanley, Sainsbury in Darlington and Tesco in Newton Aycliffe.

An event will also be held at the Zone Project at the Darlington’s Dolphin Centre from 7pm to 9pm on Friday.