SOME victims of domestic violence endure as many as 35 attacks before issuing a cry for help.

This is the stark statistic which illustrates the silence that cloaks the serious assaults committed behind front doors and net curtains.

The reasons for this silence are manifold; a fear of speaking out in case of further attack or a wish to protect the guilty spouse, partner or relative in spite of the punishment they dish out.

One thinks it is the easiest thing in the world to speak out. Those who live in daily fear know this is not the case.

The St Albans police initiative to break the silence - carrying Polaroid cameras to instances of domestic violence and handing out mobile phones to known victims - is to be commended as a novel way of tackling this form of violent crime.

By recording evidence of this abuse, admissible in court, let's hope these bullies will get the verdicts and sentences they deserve. And, if the photographic evidence can help provoke guilty pleas, victims of domestic violence can be spared the humiliation and emotional strain of giving evidence in front of their tormentors.

We hope this project is a resounding success and will be admired and copied throughout Britain.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.