More people asking North Yorkshire police to check if their partner has an abusive past
You can ask for the information under a scheme called 'Clare's Law'
There has been a big rise in the number of people across North Yorkshire using a scheme to check if their partner has a violent or abusive past.
123 people asked the police for that information last year, more than four times as many as in 2017 when it was first set up.
Detective Superintendent Heather Worsley is in charge of safeguarding at the force and says they're trying to raise awareness of Clare's Law to reach even more people: "It's seen as a really key role in terms of enabling people to access what risk they face and make some mature and informed decisions about the partners that they are choosing, so that is a really positive step for us."
What is Clare's law?
Clare’s Law is in memory of Clare Wood who was murdered by her former partner in Salford in 2009.
Her partner had three previous convictions under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
Clare's Law now gives people who suspect their partners of having a violent past, their friends, families and authorities the opportunity to apply for information about the person they are in a relationship with. These are known as ‘right to ask’ and ‘right to know’ applications.