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Monday 14 September, 6.30pm

Eighteen years ago Peter and Jean Griffin's elder daughter Caroline was stabbed to death in her home by the father of their two young children as she sought to end an abusive eight-year relationship.

A fortnight before her death she had successfully applied for an injunction banning her partner from the family home and from harassing her. Caroline's killer pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to provocation and was jailed for four years.

In the two decades since there have been substantial changes in the way the legal system deals with domestic violence, but the Griffin's, from Abergavenny, wonder how much has really changed.

"Has it made a difference?" wonders Peter Griffin. "Do the police react any differently? Maybe some forces do; maybe some don't. I don't know. But you still hear of these cases happening."

Every year the police receive 500 thousand calls relating to domestic abuse - that's two calls every minute. Yet those working with victims estimate that only about 12 per cent of women report the abuse they experience to the police.

Jemma Wray of Torfaen Women's Aid believes women are very fearful of reporting "for all sorts of reasons, not least because it increases the level of risk that they face from the perpetrator."

"But also women are concerned they won't be taken seriously, that it's their word against somebody else's and that there will be a lack of evidence."

The sheer volume of calls alone makes domestic violence a challenging area for the police. The fact that it generally goes on behind closed doors and that victims often withdraw statements only adds to the complexity.

Officers now have lengthy guidelines setting out how to respond to those calls. But the Association of Chief Police Officer's spokesman on domestic abuse, Chief Constable Brian Moore, says the 120-plus pages boil down to three simple things.

"One, take the victim seriously. By the time she's getting in touch with you there's probably an abusive background already there - so treat her seriously."

"Two, conduct a risk assessment so you know the risks that confront you. And three, use your powers to make an arrest of a perpetrator as soon as possible."

"Most police officers are very comfortable with their abilities and powers to do that."