When a women is murdered, over �1m can be spent in bringing her killer to justice

Julie Morgan MP

Two-thirds of all rapes are committed by someone known to the victim, according to figures.

Research also shows that women can be abused up to 36 times before they seek help and protection and on average go to 10 different agencies before they get the help they need. Many give up trying.

The new unit will be staffed by a multi-disciplinary team, including a police officer who can take statements, arrange scenes of crime photography and accompany women for forensic tests following a complaint of rape.

The unit's operations manager, Jan Pickles, said the CWSU team would be acting as advocates for women when dealing with the Crown Prosecution Service and magistrates courts.

She said: "This is an exciting and ambitious venture that aims to tackle domestic abuse and known perpetrators of rape on all levels."

"At the moment, services for these women are delivered in a fragmented way.

"Despite some very good practice, they are often inconsistent, under-resourced and of variable quality.

Real difference

"Our team provides a real opportunity for Cardiff to tackle violence against women and provide further measures to protect children caught up in these situations."

Cardiff North MP, Julie Morgan, who is chair of the city's Domestic Violence Forum said: "When a women is murdered, over �1m can be spent in bringing her killer to justice.

"If more money were invested in prevention, she might still be alive, her children would still have a mother and her parents a daughter.

"The Women's Safety Unit work is a real attempt by all agencies involved to move in that direction and will make a real difference to people's lives".

The Women's Safety Unit will be managed on a day-to-day basis by NSPCC Cymru and will be launched by Welsh Health and Social Services Minister Jane Hutt.