A MAN from Tavistock has been prevented from entering the town for 28 days following a successful application made by Devon and Cornwall Police for a domestic violence protection order.

The order is the first one of its kind to be made in the West Devon policing district.

The magistrates court in Plymouth found that the man in his early thirties, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been violent, or threatened violence towards his partner and that an order was necessary to protect her.

The court has ordered that he does not harass, molest or threaten her as well as ordering him to have no contact with her for a period of 28 days.

Domestic violence protection orders were rolled out across police forces countrywide in March 2014 and an increase in their use has been noted locally following the appointment of three ‘vulnerability lawyers’ across Devon and Cornwall.

The orders allow police and courts to put in place protective measures in the immediate aftermath of a domestic violence incident to protect vulnerable victims; the orders can be made for up to 28 days and can prevent a perpetrator of domestic violence from entering a property, street or town.