There were over 5,500 reports of domestic violence in Devon in 2002

More training for GPs and teachers is being seen as a key factor to make it easier for victims to get support.

Last year there were more than 5,500 reports of domestic violence in Devon.

But that could be the tip of the iceberg as it is estimated a victim will be assaulted 35 times on average before reporting it to the police.

I think schools need to be educated more on the signs to pick up on Michaela Manville

Agencies working in Devon to combat the problem are initially hoping to raise the number of reported incidents by 10% through better early intervention.

One way they hope to do that is by training people like GPs, teachers and social workers to recognise the signs.

Dr Peter Jolliffe, chief officer of the Devon Local Medical Committee, welcomes any move to tackle the problem.

But he says there is more to it than identifying who the victim is.

"Many GPs, myself included, have felt an awful lot of frustration having gone along all the way one can in trying to assist such victims, only to be unsurprised to find they are back together with the person who abuses them," he said.

After years of abuse, Michaela Manville fled from a brutal marriage.

Early help

She says early help is important.

"I used to walk round with bruises and the kids were really upset at school and nobody picked up on it.

"I think schools need to be educated more on the signs to pick up on," she said.

A pilot scheme has been running for the last three months.

The project will be made permanent in September and will train 1,000 people a year across the county.