ONE person is arrested for domestic violence every 90 minutes in

Lancashire, shock figures have revealed.

The county has the sixth highest number of arrests in the UK - more than Greater Manchester, Glasgow and Tyneside - with 5,716 people taken into

custody in the year to March 2004.

And with national figures suggesting that a women suffers abuse 35 times before going to the police, there are fears that the true level of domestic

violence is far higher.

Police today said the high

figure was a result of their policy of considering arrest at every incident of domestic violence they attend.

But they also said there was a small but significant number of cases of women attacking men, many of whom were too embarassed to go to the police.

The charity Women's Aid said the force's approach revealed the true extent of the problem for the first time.

But it said much more had to be done as just two out of every 100 people arrested for domestic violence were convicted.

Lancashire detects 27 per cent of all crimes but domestic violence is a difficult crime to 'solve' due to the reluctance of victims to give evidence.

The figures on arrests were revealed for the first time by Home Office Minister Baroness Scotland in a House of Lords written answer.

The highest number of arrests were in the West Midlands (8,594), followed by West Yorkshire (8,571), Merseyside (7,395), the Metropolitan police (6,118) and Staffordshire (6,063).

After Lancashire came Northumbria (5,549) and Greater Manchester (5,490).

Det Insp Neil Hunter, head of the public protection unit covering East Lancashire, said: "By taking positive action and intervening at the earliest opportunity it gives protection to the victim and the opportunity to feed in domestic violence voluntary groups and domestic violence officers to provide support and encouragement.

"Also we are more likely over time to achieve a prosecution because if there was a cooling off period, you tended to get the situations where couples got back together."

He said the force was also prosecuting without the victim's consent, adding: "Fifty per cent of murders in Lancashire are domestic violence, so if we feel it is important and may prevent a serious offence in the future, then that is what we will do.

"We have to create an environment where people have the confidence to come forward and know the matter will be dealt with sensitively and with understanding. This can be especailly true in cases where men are the victims, as there is an embarassment factor over reporting such incidents."

Viviene Bickham, of Women's Aid, Blackburn, said the police had made great strides in recent years compared to the old culture of turning a blind eye.

She added: "It is about getting the message to the perpetrator that enough is enough and that it is a crime. We need to provide support to the victim throughout the criminal justice system.

"Perhaps we are getting better on that but we are not there yet -- just two out of 100 arrested make it to prosecutions."

Rossendale and Darwen MP Janet Anderson said: "The police must intervene as early as possible to try and reach these people and change their offending behaviour."

Burnley MP Peter Pike added: "This is a very different approach from when I first became an MP 20 years ago. Then they didn't take domestic violence very seriously. I am glad they are doing so now."

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: "Domestic violence is simply unacceptable. What the police are doing will hopefully lead to more people getting help."