The Met targets male abusers in domestic violence crackdown

The campaign, created by Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, is focusing on men who abuse women, which accounts for 85% of all reported incidents and the majority of violent assaults.

The radio ads have been designed to shock listeners into the reality of domestic violence and can be heard over the next three weeks on Virgin, TalkSPORT, Xfm, Capital Gold, Kiss and LBC.

All the ads conclude with the line "Remember, there are no longer any safe houses for men who commit domestic violence". 

Poster ads have been created using a copy-only approach, reading: "Relax, go ahead and read. No one can tell you're a wife beater"; "Bad day at the office? How will you unwind? Glass of wine? Nice meal? Break your wife's jaw?"; while another reads: "When was the last time you told your girlfriend you loved her? Was it just after you nearly killed her?"  

The ads then go on to to explain that the Met no longer needs a statement from a partner to make an arrest since the new Service Level Agreement was signed with the Crown Prosecution Service.

Ads will run on 48-sheet cross-track posters to catch men on the way to work as well as locations such as the pub, cinemas, leisure centres and the London Underground, and in football programmes and sports sections of Metro and Evening Standard.

Sir Ian Blair, commissioner of the Met, said: "Abusers need to realise that there are no longer any safe houses for men who commit domestic violence and they can no longer hide behind their partners' fear."

In 2003/2004 there were more than 106,000 incidents reported to the Met, with domestic violence accounting for 24% of all reported violent incidents and one in four murders in the capital.

Michael Pring, board account director at MCBD, said: "Because domestic violence mainly takes place behind closed doors, abusers often feel untouchable and immune from external intervention. The campaign tells them, in no uncertain terms, that this is far from the case. The tone of the work reflects this uncompromising stance."

The creative team on the campaign was copywriter/art director Jeremy Carr with media planning handled by MediaCom.

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