Hamilton Police are warning of the risks of combining alcohol with volatile domestic situations following a violent incident in the west of the City overnight.
Detective Senior Sergeant Karl Thornton of the Hamilton CIB said officers attended a call for help at a Nawton address shortly after 8pm.
"It appears our 24-year-old female woman was the victim of a serious assault and threatened with a knife by her 34-year-old male partner during a domestic incident at the couple's home.
"Alcohol appears to have been a contributing factor in the incident."
Given the offender was intoxicated he was held in custody overnight and charged with male assaults female this morning.
He appeared in the Hamilton District Court today and further charges are likely.
The victim was referred to Women's refuge and Victim Support to assist her through her ordeal.
While last night's incident was at the more violent end of the scale Hamilton Family Safety Team Supervisor, Sergeant Alan McGlade, said it wasn't unusual to find alcohol was a contributing factor in family violence events.
"There were 4,854 family violence offences recorded in the Waikato over the 2010/2011 Fiscal Year, 205 less than the previous year.
"While the reduction in the number of offences would suggest we are turning a corner in regards to family violence no longer being acceptable in our society we are heading into a period where pressures on families is at its greatest and there is a big demand for support services."
Mr McGlade said around 35 per cent of domestic incidents involve alcohol as a contributing factor.
"With summer and Christmas holidays approaching there is a lot of financial pressure on families, our message is that the answer doesn't lie in a bottle, if you need help seek it, before it becomes too late.
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