Hundreds of police officers raided homes across London today in a crackdown on domestic abuse and race and homophobia related crimes. An undisclosed number of arrested were made in the dawn raids which are part of a two-week clampdown.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said the raids aimed to "put the fear back onto the offenders, and encourage victims to report crimes to us, that we will take action and arrest those responsible".
The number of domestic violence incidents reported to the Metropolitan Police in 2005/06 was over 108,000, with 24% of incidents accounting for all reported violence and 20% of all murders.
For 2005/06 there were 11,322 race hate crimes, and 1,294 homophobic crimes.
The spokesman added that 32 dedicated Community Safety Teams would be liaising with the community in raising awareness of how and where to report crimes, to provide high visibility patrolling, and to respond to calls.
Commander Steve Allen, head of the Violent Crime Directorate said: "In the run up to the festive season where historically we have seen a rise in such cases, we need to get the message across that this type of crime will not be tolerated and you do not need to suffer in silence.
"These crimes may be affecting someone in your family or one of your friends and we want to encourage victims to come forward and know that we will deal with the perpetrators."
Copyright Press Association 2006.