Police in Kirklees are continuing their drive to help women and girls feel safer and say domestic violence remains an “overwhelming priority” for the force.

Kirklees Police have joined colleagues across West Yorkshire in a week of action and are targeting suspects wanted for offences of domestic abuse.

Officers from the district’s specialist Catch and Control team will be out on the streets while colleagues from neighbourhood policing teams will be hosting a range of safety events at school, colleges, transport hubs and shops to engage with women.

Night marshals will also be on hand in Huddersfield town centre to provide reassurance and support to women and girls enjoying a night out.

Other activity set to take place in Kirklees during the week of action will include talks with students at Kirklees College to raise their awareness of personal safety and the location of a plethora of Safe Zones now operating in the district.

Crime prevention staff from Kirklees Police will also be holding an event at the Asda store in Huddersfield during the afternoon of Thursday March 7 to promote Safe Zones.

The Safe Zones themselves are areas where a woman or child could step off the street if they feel they are being followed until the risk has passed, or they might wish to charge their phone and call a friend or parent. More than 240 zones operate in Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Mirfield.

DCI Lee Fletcher, of Kirklees Police, said: “A significant amount of work continues in Kirklees to make women and girls safer and this week of action is a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of the issue of women’s safety in our communities.

“Our Catch and Control officers are engaged in proactive operations across the district to locate and arrest wanted domestic violence offenders, and I want to it very clear that any form of violent act towards females here in Kirklees will not be tolerated.

“A key part of making our communities safer is, of course, also to prevent crime from ever taking place, and we have a wide range of activity ongoing with partners to provide safety education and advice for women and girls at a variety of settings.

“Reducing violence against women remains an overwhelming priority for the district and the force more widely and we strongly urge anyone who has been a victim of violent offending, including domestic abuse, and who hasn’t come forwards, to do so.”