Eighteen new special domestic violence courts announced

Victims of Domestic Violence will receive extra help and support from 18 new Specialist Domestic Violence Courts, the Government has announced.

The new courts will be located in Eastern England, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South West, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside. The Government has a target to have a total of 128 courts by 2011.

The Specialist Domestic Violence Court programme promotes a combined approach to tackling domestic violence by the police, the Crown prosecutors, magistrates, courts and probation together with specialist support services for victims, which situates the court and the Criminal Justice System as part of a community-wide response to Domestic Violence.

The Courts also have specially trained magistrates in dealing with domestic violence and victims receive tailored support and advice from Independent Domestic Violence Advisors.

The Attorney General, Baroness Scotland QC said: Improving the safety of women experiencing Domestic Violence and the support that they are given is a key priority for the Government. The selection of 18 further Specialist Domestic Violence Courts will ensure that more victims of domestic violence will benefit from enhanced expertise and insight into these crimes. The Crown Prosecution Service continues to improve its performance on domestic violence cases. Specialist Domestic Violence Courts are playing a key role in increasing the number of successful outcomes.