A NATIONAL database of victims of domestic abuse should be set up together with a list of abusers to help tackle repeat attacks.

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary Paddy Tomkins says in a new report out today that Scottish forces should address such databases "urgently", revealing more than half of cases of domestic violence involved people who had been abused before.

Mr Tomkins said: "Domestic abuse has the highest rate of repeat victimisation of any crime, even though only a proportion of all incidents are reported to the police.

"Every call represents an opportunity to identify a pattern of abuse and an opportunity to intervene to prevent further or escalating acts of violence in the future.

"That's why effective record-keeping and ease of access to information are key to an effective response to domestic abuse. We believe a national database of victims and offenders would help the police to better respond to potential domestic abuse cases."

A spokesman for Victim Support Scotland said its team would examine the proposals before responding.

He said: "We will have to study in detail the recommendations flowing from the HMIC report. However, it goes without saying that anything which seeks to protect people from domestic abuse has to be welcomed."

He added that databases held by criminal justice departments work well and confidentiality is protected but said: "Clearly any database of victims could only be established with the support and co-operation of the victims."

Police in Scotland recorded 48,801 incidents of domestic abuse in 2006-07, a 7% increase on the previous year. This continues the steady increase in incidents reported since 1999-2000, the first year for which data is available.

Also in 2006-07, 57% of cases involved known repeat victimisation. Domestic abuse accounts for 31% of all violence against women.

More than half (53%) of the female victims aged between 16 and 69 of homicides in Scotland in the past 10 years were killed by their partner.

Every year, about 150 people - 80% of them women - are killed in the UK by a current or former partner.