THE SEASON OF GOODWILL

It’s the season of goodwill and peace to all men, except your spouse of course. When most police forces are gearing up to reduce alcohol related incidents in our town centres or to breathalyse drunken drivers, police in County Durham have announced a new initiative to help counter domestic violence. Statistically Christmas Day invariably shows a significant increase in the number of incidents of violence in the home reported to the police. In Durham funding has been given for head cams, which means that when responding to a victim’s call they will now automatically film what they see, leaving their hands free to deal with the situation. Hopefully response times will be quick enough to enable them not only to capture the incident on camera but more importantly to intervene to prevent serious damage. In the meantime any resident of the county who spots a bobby with strange headgear (the exact nature of which I have not as yet seen) should note that he really is a police officer and not an extra for a Doctor Who Christmas Special.