Police Launch £80 Thousand Clare's Law TV Ad Campaign
A TV advert encouraging people to use the new nationwide disclosure scheme for domestic abuse has been released by Police Scotland.
The campaign - which will run for a month - informs people of their right to make a request under the scheme if they have suspect their partner may have a history of domestic abuse.
A series of realistic scenarios are shown in the advert, which poses the question: When is the right time to find out whether someone has a history of domestic abuse?'' The answer is given asnow''. A successful trial of the scheme, known as Clare's Law, was launched in Ayrshire and Aberdeen last November. The nationwide roll-out started on October 1.
It is named after Clare Wood, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 2009. A similar scheme was rolled out in England and Wales earlier this year.
Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick said Police Scotland dealt with nearly 60,000 domestic abuse incidents in 2014.
She added: This advert demonstrates a number of scenarios where control is being exerted and where that behaviour may lead to concerns about an individual's behaviour.
Whether it is checking phone calls or texts, telling you what to wear or who you can see, these can be indicators of potentially abusive behaviour and can start long before a relationship becomes physically abusive.
This new campaign makes it clear, that if there are things happening in your relationship that cause you concern or even fear, then now is the time to seek a disclosure through the new scheme.
Through the disclosure scheme for domestic abuse (Scotland), people now have the right to ask if their partner has a history of domestic abuse. Concerned family and friends can also ask.
If a relationship is causing you concern or fear, then it's never too early to ask the question and make a decision about the situation before it gets out of control.
During the Scottish trial, 86 requests were made to police with 35 disclosures made. A total of 54 requests have already been made since October 1.