'Clare's Law' Gives Right To Ask On Domestic Violence

People in some parts of England and Wales will have more rights to find out about a partner's domestic violence history as a new scheme is trialled.

Police forces in Greater Manchester, Gwent, Nottinghamshire and Wiltshire will run a 12-month trial of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.

The pilot scheme, which will run from summer 2012, will help victims or potential victims of domestic violence by disclosing information about previous violent offending by their partner.

There are two options - the right to ask and the right to know. The first gives people the right to ask police about a partner’s previous history of domestic violence or violent acts, and the second means police can proactively disclose information in certain circumstances.

It comes after calls for a national scheme gained momentum following the tragic case of Clare Wood, who was murdered by her former partner in Greater Manchester in 2009. Her partner had three previous convictions under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. You can read more about the pilot scheme on the Home Office's publication's page. The scheme is just one of the ways in which the government is tackling the issue of domestic violence as part of its call to end violence against women and girls action plan.