'You make the call - we'll make it stop. Call 999' is the powerful call to action being put to members of the public by the MPS in its new domestic violence (DV) advertising campaign launched this week.

The five week pan-London awareness raising campaign - consisting of a variety of elements in different mediums, editorial, radio and online to achieve maximum impact - aims to elevate the emergency status of domestic violence and challenge some of the reasons given for members of the public choosing not to intervene in incidents.

The online element, an interactive film viewed from the setting of a 'neighbours lounge', uses emotive sound effects of a domestic violence incident taking place through the wall between a couple in the next door flat - while presenting viewers with a choice whether to intervene and call emergency services by hitting 999 on their keyboards. Click here to view the film on YouTube.

Overall the campaign seeks to demonstrate that bystanders can stop domestic violence by dramatising the immediate effect of a 999 call, or if they choose not to take action, remind them of the potentially devastating consequences. One in five murders in London are accounted for by DV.

If the public dial 999 to report incidents, the police can respond immediately to allegations of domestic violence, initiate investigations, and provide victims/survivors with the support that they may not previously have been aware existed. By targeting bystanders, the campaign also aims to create a hostile environment for the perpetrators themselves, whilst stressing that the MPS has a relentless commitment to tackling this issue.

The press ads reflect this scenario of the online film, while the radio ad will be particularly targeted during evenings of England matches - Home Office research carried out at the time of the last World Cup shows that while major sporting events do not directly cause domestic violence, there is a link as the levels of alcohol and highly emotional nature of these events appear to increase the prevalence of DV incidents.

In addition, there will be operational support for the ad campaign. All boroughs are being encouraged to visit their top ten domestic violence perpetrators and high-risk offenders. There will also be additional DV specialists and investigators on duty on England world cup days.

Commander David Zinzan, of the Violent Crime Directorate in the MPS, said: "The MPS remains committed to tackling all forms of domestic abuse whilst continually improving our services to victims and potential victims. Violence is unacceptable and we will continue to proactively identify, arrest and seek prosecution of offenders. We can still investigate DV crimes even if the victim does not want to tell police.

"This new and powerful ad campaign acts as a reminder that we can all play a vital part in helping to deter domestic violence perpetrators, and help more victims, by reporting domestic violence at the first moment possible if we witness it. This gives the police the best chance of responding effectively to every single incident of abuse. So please make the call - and we'll make it stop."

Victims are further supported by the work of the multi-agency risk-assessment conferences and by independent advisers, who are key to advising victims and keeping them safe. The MPS also recognizes that DV is significantly under-reported, and are thus always seeking to improve confidence among potential victims, and increase our range of third-party reporting facilities, in order to encourage more victims to come forward.

In partnership with the CPS, the MPS will promote positive action for arrest and prosecution. The MPS can independently investigate all allegations of DV without needing the victim/survivor to make the initial allegation or grant consent for officers to make an arrest - thus removing the pressure and onus away from victims.

The MPS has over 500 specialist investigators working across the 32 community safety units - one in each borough dedicated to all forms of hate crime - to respond to every report of abuse, while a central team of officers with specific expertise in domestic abuse matters provide advice and support to them, and look at new initiatives, which are then fed into policy and practice.