Sussex ‘Clare’s law’ requests up by 50 per cent

Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner revealed the information at a police performance and accountability meeting on Friday, April 19.

She said that from April, 2023, to March, 2024, the force had seen 574 right-to-know and 1,082 right-to-ask requests under Clare’s Law, or the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.

Ms Shiner said out of the total 1,656 requests, police disclosed 36 per cent of them, around 650, to the applicants, a drop from 46 per cent last year.

She said this was most likely because police were still processing some 140 applications and it had not yet been a full reporting year, so the numbers were subject to change.

The scheme affords anyone the ‘right to ask’ police about their current or ex-partner’s history with domestic abuse or violence, and to ask on behalf of others, such as their child or neighbour, who they believe is at risk, according to the Sussex Police website.

It also affords people the ‘right to know’, where police will proactively tell someone about their current or ex-partner’s history with domestic abuse or violence.

The law was introduced in 2014, following an investigation into the murder of Clare Wood by her ex-partner George Appleton in 2009.

Ms Shiner said the increase in requests was ‘good news’, as it showed more people were aware of the scheme and were engaging with it. She said: “If in doubt, please ask, because by doing that you might prevent serious injury or even worse. The system works, you will get a response, you will be listened to and we will make sure we deal with it properly and effectively”.

On the decision to make a disclosure under Clare’s Law, the Sussex police website states: “You can make an application regarding a current or ex-partner, or if you have concerns about someone else’s current or ex-partner.

“The police will carry out checks and will refer any information to a local multi-agency panel for a decision as to whether to make a disclosure.”