It might seem a little odd to welcome the news that reported incidents of domestic violence in Bradford rose by 17 per cent last year to approach a staggering 9,000.

It is surely appalling that so many people, the vast majority of them women, are being attacked in the home by their partners. Worse is the revelation that in 42 per cent of the cases children were present.

What is of even more concern is the probability that even this figure does not represent anything like the true situation. There will still be a great many incidents which go unreported. Wife-beating remains one of those age-old phenomena which too often is kept "within the home".

In that context the welcome given to news of the increase by organisations which support victims of domestic violence is understandable. They believe that rather than it meaning that there have been more incidents it suggests that more people are now coming forward to report them.

Increasingly, women are no longer prepared to accept that part of their lot is to be knocked around in the home, often while their children watch or listen in the next room.

Add to that improvements to the police reporting system and the wide range of support services which are now available, and the increase can indeed be seen to be a positive development.

The more women who are prompted by the help and support available to come forward and report their ill-treatment, the greater the chances of getting the message across that brutality in the home is not something that anyone should have to put up with.