A COUNCIL policy aimed at combating the misery of domestic violence in Darlington will come a step closer to reality this week.

A meeting of Darlington Borough Council's social affairs and health scrutiny committee will be held on Thursday, to discuss the authority's draft domestic violence policy.

The meeting will allow councillors to quiz representatives of the authority's human resources and legal departments on how acts of domestic violence which affect council staff at work can be handled.

Part of the draft looks at council employees who are either victims or perpetrators of domestic violence, as the authority looks at the issue both borough-wide and in its own workplaces.

The need for Darlington council to set up a policy on domestic violence was highlighted by a review group set up by the scrutiny committee in January, and officer have been quick to act on this.

The strategy will set out the council's philosophy and objectives in work related to domestic violence.

The draft says: "The overall aim of the domestic violence policy is to reduce and prevent the incidents of domestic violence, to improve the safety and welfare of children and women, and to increase understanding of domestic violence.

"The aim of the policy is to develop a consistent, measurable and effective approach by the borough council to all incidents involving domestic violence."

Last month, an initiative co-ordinated by the Darlington Domestic Violence Forum was announced after a 40 per cent rise in domestic violence cases in the past two years.

The Reduce Violence Against Women project involves publicity to highlight the issue, as well as improved security at the homes of victims, featuring panic alarms which can automatically alert police to problems.