VICTIMS of domestic violence call police every three hours in Oxfordshire.

Figures released by Thames Valley Police show between April 2009 and March 2010, 2,989 reports of domestic violence in the county were received – or eight calls every day.

Almost all were from women, but police said about 10 per cent were from men reporting violence from female partners.

Last night, police said more people were reporting domestic abuse than they had been a few years ago, but they were confident the number of victims was falling.

Since 2008, officers have been trained to ask probing questions to uncover the extent of a victim’s abuse, instead of taking each reported incident at face value.

Between April and November last year, there were 1,728 reports of domestic abuse in the county, but the figure has remained around the 2,900 mark since 2008.

Det Insp Russell Simpson, who manages the domestic abuse team in Oxfordshire, said: “Anecdotally, we believe there is a readiness by victims to tell us what has happened to them whereas that was not the case as much two years ago.

“But I’m not naive enough to believe these figures show really what is happening, that’s probably true of most crimes.

“I’m confident we are reducing the number of victims on the basis we are getting more victims reporting abuse.”

Oxfordshire domestic abuse organisation Reducing the Risk estimates less than half of all incidents are reported to police nationwide.

Abuse reports are risk assessed into standard, medium and high risk, according to their seriousness, with high risk victims removed from their homes immediately if necessary. There are between 70 and 80 high risk cases on-going in Oxfordshire.

Domestic violence victim Anji Hall plucked up the courage to leave her husband after 20 years.

She founded the Eve Women’s Wellbeing Project to help abuse victims.

Ms Hall said there are probably far more victims than figures show. She said: “I met a lady who had lost a leg because her partner threw her down the stairs.

“It’s women in their 40s, in their 20s, and I’ve met an 18-year-old girl who was being abused from a relationship since she was 13.

He terrified her. She couldn’t even tell her parents. I’ve seen people in their 80s who are talking about it for the first time.

“It happens across all social spectrums.”

She added: “Psychologists would say it is men who feel unempowered for whatever reason, so they find someone to control.

“But these people are weak, they are people who need to prove something.

“It gives victims low self esteem and depression. Sometimes alcoholism and drug addiction is the only way to survive the day.

“The long term effect on women is dreadful and some end up dying.

“The ones that do survive don’t always live the best lives afterwards.”