THE Chief Constable of Cheshire has blamed the collapse of family life for a big increase in crime levels.
Peter Fahy said officers were having to deal with rocketing numbers of minor incidents which were making Britain seem more violent than it really was.
He accused domestic violence victims of wasting police time for making allegations of assaults, but then refusing to help with investigations.
But he warned attacks would not be tolerated and he wanted to prosecute everyone who assaulted their partner.
Mr Fahy said: "We are being hit with a huge number of minor assaults, like harassment, between people who are known to each other or are in relationships.
"More family breakdowns are turning into more domestic incidents. It's people in fractured relationships or friends who go out drinking together and then fall out.
"In many cases the victim loses interest after the initial report and officers spend considerable amounts of time attempting to contact them It's not only hugely frustrating, it's a waste of our time. We need to get a strong message out that it's not OK to have violence in relationships and that where we can we will prosecute."
In April and May this year there have been 465 allegations of harassment in the county - more than double the 209 recorded in the same period last year.
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