Sixteen Scottish Clare's Law Referrals Made So Far

Ten referrals have been made to the new pilot domestic abuse disclosure scheme in Ayrshire.

In just three weeks since the pilot was launched, ten referrals from the Ayrshire area have been made to the scheme, which gives people who are at risk of domestic abuse the right to ask for a police check to be made on their partner’s offending history and gives police the ‘power to tell’ where they have identified that a person may be at risk.

Along with six in the City of Aberdeen, this brings the total number of referrals in the two pilot areas to 16.

Chief Superintendent Gillian McDonald, Divisional Commander of ‘U’ Division, which covers Ayrshire, said, “The number of referrals made to the pilot in such a short space of time tells me that this scheme is necessary and is already helping to keep people safe. By giving those who fear their partner may become abusive a means of voicing this and an opportunity to access professional support we are helping them make informed choices about whether to continue in the relationship’.

“Tackling Domestic abuse is one of our highest priorities and this scheme allows Police Scotland, in partnership with a number of agencies, to share information about an abuser’s past with applicants who feel they could be at risk.

“Police statistics show that incidents of domestic abuse increase over the festive period and I would urge anyone who feels that their partner could be abusive, whether psychologically or physically, to apply to the disclosure scheme. Ensuring the safety of people living in Ayrshire is a priority for my officers and that includes anyone who lives in fear of abuse.”

Of the ten referrals in Ayrshire, four were made by outside agencies, five were made directly by people who are concerned about their partner’s behaviour and one was made on behalf of a person who could potentially be at risk.

The breakdown per council area is:

• North Ayrshire Council: five

• East Ayrshire Council: two

• South Ayrshire Council: two

• Outside pilot area: one

Last year there were 58,974 incidents of domestic abuse recorded in Scotland, of which 4,711 were within ‘U’ Division, which covers North, South and East Ayrshire Council areas. Since 1 April 2014, already 3,090 incidents have been recorded in ‘U’ Division.

The trial scheme will run for six months and will be thoroughly evaluated. If deemed successful, consideration will be given to its ‘roll out’ across Scotland.