Police in Suffolk have said they are committed to tackling domestic violence following the publication of figures which reveal that thousands of reports are met with no further action.

It comes after it was revealed that the most common method of disposal for the 29,842 incidents reported in the county over the past four years was to take no action.

A total of 4,753 incidents were dealt with in this manner, compared with 1,743 cautions, 2,638 incidents of charging and bailing and 1,262 charges with a detention.

Charity Women’s Aid said the figures “send the message that police will not prioritise protecting women”.

But Detective Superintendent Dave Cutler, has stressed that “Suffolk Constabulary was committed to taking positive action to tackle domestic abuse”.

“We know that victims of abuse come from every walk of life and every community and it is really important to us that any person suffering from domestic abuse has the confidence to speak to us and seek the support and assistance they deserve,” he said.

“Whilst we want to prevent domestic abuse occurring in the first place, we want to encourage those who have been, or are being, abused to contact us so that with our partners we can help protect vulnerable victims and their families and interrupt the cycles of horrific abuse that individuals go through.”

Det Supt Cutler added that the victims of domestic abuse “can want a variety of outcomes for a variety of different reasons” and he would not want the fear of giving evidence to put someone off making a report.

“We will work to support victims so that they feel they can give evidence if they want to but also support them where they don’t,” he said.

Suffolk’s police and crime commissioner Tim Passmore has also stressed his commitment to tackling the “intolerable” crime and announced new measures to support victims, bring offenders to justice and understand the problem better.