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NCDV now has nine full-time staff, 12 permanent volunteers and has trained over 5000 law and other students as McKenzie Friends to accompany unrepresented victims into court. We have also trained over 8000 police officers in civil remedies available regarding domestic violence. The National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) has branches in London, Guildford and Manchester and is on track to have branches in 16 areas within the next two years.

NCDV specialises exclusively in domestic violence work and could be characterised as a cross between McDonalds and Claims Direct. The high degree of specialisation means that its processes are streamlined: clients can be seen quickly and the work is done speedily and cheaply. Sometimes, we will have one of our trained McKenzie Friends at a court doing 10 applications in one day, Connor says.

Clients are not charged for the service. NCDV staff take an initial statement: clients who qualify for legal aid are referred to a local firm; those that dont get free help from the centre itself. It runs on a shoestring, heavily reliant on volunteers and capping staff salaries at 18,000 a year.

In 2002, thanks entirely to Connors doggedness, the London Centre for Domestic Violence was formed. It started out with him and a friend, but is now a national organisation, covering 27 counties, and has helped approximately 10,000 victims last year to take out injunctions against their partners.

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The injustice of the situation got under Connors skin. I just couldnt believe that there was no help available to people who did not qualify for public funds but could not afford to pay.