Under Clare's Law, otherwise known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, men and women can request information about whether their partner has had a history of domestic violence, or third parties such as friends or relatives can make requests if they are "concerned". Police and other agencies including social services then consider whether releasing information on someone's past is "necessary, lawful and proportionate" to protect someone from their partner. Reasons for information not being released include a partner not having a record of abuse offences, or there being no "pressing need for disclosure" based on the information found. Polly Neate, chief executive of charity Women's Aid, said: "Any woman asking for a disclosure under Clare's Law is clearly already concerned about her relationship, and should be referred to a specialist service so she can get support with her concerns, even if no disclosure can be made."
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| Clare Wood was murdered by George Appleton at her home in Salford in 2009 |
- There have been at least 3,760 applications under the law so far - resulting in the 1,335 disclosures. The true totals are likely to be higher, as three police forces did not release their statistics.
- Outside the four forces involved with the pilot, Lancashire had the highest number of disclosures at 146, while Norfolk had the lowest, with five.
I think that Clare's Law is an extremely important event to have occurred, and will prevent people from unknowingly staying in relationships with dangerous partners. However, it could make people with a past of domestic violence become isolated, by ending relationships because of it. But, personally, I think that isolating former domestic abusers is a small price to pay for protecting the lives of their vulnerable partners.
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