Latest news with #Sarah'sLaw
The Guardian
21-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Coalition says a national sex offender register would be a ‘powerful deterrent'. How would it work, and why now?
The Coalition says it will trial a national register for child sex offenders if elected, providing the option for parents and carers to check with police about whether individuals who interact with their children have prior convictions. The 12-month pilot, which the Coalition says will cost $21.3m, is modelled on existing schemes that have functioned for more than a decade in Western Australia and the UK. Peter Dutton said the register would serve as a 'powerful deterrent' to offenders and enable parents to be fully informed about their child's safety. But would it work, and why is it being raised now? Two similar schemes operating in WA and the UK, the shadow attorney general, Michaelia Cash, told ABC Radio on Monday, which she said had 'unmasked thousands of paedophiles to worried parents and guardians'. The UK's disclosure register, known as 'Sarah's Law', was introduced in 2011 after eight-year-old Sarah Payne was abducted and murdered by a convicted paedophile in 2000. After her death, Payne's mother campaigned for years for greater public access to information about known sex offenders. It allows individuals, not just parents or carers, to ask police whether someone with access to a child has a record. If there is a risk, information is disclosed by police to the person best placed to protect the child. In the two years after being introduced, police forces in England, Wales and Scotland received 4,754 applications and made 708 disclosures. In contrast, WA's community protection website publicly lists limited information about the state's most serious convicted sex offenders – including some names, photos and locations. It was rolled out in 2012 after high-profile cases prompted public calls for greater transparency. The Coalition's disclosure register would not be available to the public and relevant information could only be provided to a parent or guardian – with a number of caveats in place. Law enforcement would make the decision to disclose whether an individual was a listed child sex offender on a case-by-case basis after an application was made and necessary checks had taken place. Cash said the scheme would apply in situations where there had been unsupervised contact with the child for at least three days within 12 months. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter 'What it's saying to parents is you can make informed decisions about who has access to your child,' the senator said. 'It sends a clear message to sexual predators, you have nowhere to hide.' Once a disclosure was made, the applicant would be barred from sharing the information further – including to other parents. The 12-month trial would be overseen by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, with the details to be worked through with state and territory law enforcement. If this policy sounds familiar, it's because Dutton first proposed a child sex offenders register while home affairs minister in 2019 – but he wanted it to be public. The national database faced backlash at the time from legal and child safety experts for potentially stigmatising or misidentifying individuals without reducing risk. Child protection organisation Bravehearts said in a consultation paper in 2019 that while a register may provide a 'false feeling of comfort' that parents were being given all the information they needed, 'the truth is it won't'. It said it would only reveal a small number of offenders, pointing to low disclosure rates of victims and an even lower rate of criminal proceedings. Just 15% of sexual assaults involving child victims reported to police in New South Wales led to a trial, Bravehearts said. The Law Council of Australia said any register had to be stringently monitored to avoid unintended consequences or errors, and should only apply to high-level offending. Its then president, Arthur Moses SC, said in 2019 that a register brought 'the risk of adverse community attention and vigilantism', pointing to evidence from the US which showed public sex offender registers did not prevent offending in the general community. The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare welcomed any action to protect children from harm, but said funding should be focused on prevention and support. Its CEO, Deb Tsorbaris, pointed to a recent paper which found almost half (45.2%) of those who experienced child sexual abuse had never told anyone about their experience. 'The focus must be on victims,' she said. 'On supporting them to come forward and on making sure there are safe and appropriate supports to give victims and their families the help they need.' Tsorbaris said more work should also be done to tighten the existing Working with Children Check system, which was spread across eight separate state and territory jurisdictions. 'There are so many holes in Working with Children Check processes, not just in information sharing across states and territories, but in the coverage and requirements around who is required to have these checks,' she said. The prime minister won't match the Coalition's commitment and told reporters on Monday that an information-sharing register was already operating between state and federal law enforcement officials that enabled cross-jurisdictional cooperation. 'There is a national system right now that my government has put in place,' Anthony Albanese said. 'He [Dutton] never put it in place.' The employment minister, Murray Watt, told RN Breakfast the announcement was a 'cynical move' from the opposition leader a day out from early polling opening. In response, Dutton accused Albanese of being 'loose with the truth' and said unlike WA, existing commonwealth mechanisms meant information couldn't be disclosed to members of the public if they had specific concerns. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Yahoo
The people who knock the door with the worst possible news about a partner's past
Inside Bury police station, Sergeant Keith Galley gathers up several sheets of paper and puts them inside a folder. The information written on them has taken police staff several weeks to compile. And for one local woman, it could have a huge impact on her future life decisions For the woman, who is in her 20s and has children, has asked for disclosure under both 'Clare's Law' and 'Sarah's Law.' Clare's Law, often known officially as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, gives people the right to know if their current or ex-partner has any previous history of violence or abuse. It is named after Clare Wood, from Salford, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009, and has now been in operation for a decade. Whilst Sarah's Law allows people to request information from the police about a person who may be a risk to a child. It is named after eight year-old Sarah Payne who was murdered in 2000 by a convicted sex offender. READ MORE: MoJ responds after reports Southport killer Axel Rudakubana was beaten up in Strangeways prison READ MORE: Horror in Sainsbury's car park as police officer mown down by suspect The information has to be given directly. It can be done via video call, but on this occasion Sgt Galley and his colleague PC Tom Stansfield, are on their way to deliver the news face-to-face. They are invited into her home and make their way into the living room. After introducing themselves, PC Stansfield reads aloud a preamble, which he has to deliver word-for-word, before moving on and telling her the information, garnered from the national police database. The M.E.N is not allowed to report what she is told and she isn't allowed to tell anyone else. She first has to sign a disclaimer promising she won't divulge it to anyone without first asking the police for permission. She appears visibly moved and on the verge of tears as the information is read to her. Asked by the officers afterwards if she knew about what she was told she says 'only a bit.' Asked how she feels, she says: "A little bit disturbed. But I suppose that's what it is there for. As people won't always be truthful." She says there was an incident that the police were informed about which led to the request. But that prior to that she 'hadn't had any issues with him' and that 'I didn't think anything would be there' as 'it seemed liked he had been open and honest with me.' "Shocked is the right word" she says. "When you are in a relationship for two years you come to know a version of someone, and hearing that, it is a completely different version of him than what I know. "I asked him repeatedly if there is anything I should know and he continued to say no. Having the information means I am in the position to make a decision." The officers cannot pass any comment on the information or advise her what to do, but she is informed there is support available if she needs it. Sgt Galley says she appeared on the verge of tears. "I think there will be tears now we've left" PC Stansfield adds. "She has the upper hand now" he continues "And she can make the decision." "No matter what she does, we have done what we can to make sure she has the information so she can do what she wants " adds Sgt Galley. "I do feel bad sometimes" says PC Stansfield. "Not because people may be splitting up, its more for the victim or person that has asked. I went to one where they were getting married on the Saturday, and this was on the Thursday. And she said 'I guess the wedding is off then.' "You come away knowing you have done a good job but also having potentially wrecked that person emotionally. But ultimately you have protected that person. And when you have someone like we did today saying they feel empowered, you feel like all the hard work is worth it." "It's hard, but its for the right reasons" adds Sgt Galley. The officers are members of one of three specialist domestic violence teams (DATs), each consisting of a sergeant, and three PCS, and overseen by an inspector, which are based at Bury police station. They are on hand to go and assist their colleagues if any domestic-related calls come in which are deemed 'high risk.' No such calls have yet come in. So the officers decide to pay a visit to a woman whose former partner is now behind bars. He has been jailed for breaching a Domestic Abuse Protection Order (DAPO). Greater Manchester is one of just three forces where they are being piloted with Sgt Galley, PC Stansfield and their colleagues on domestic abuse team (DAT) in Bury, who have spearheaded the project in GM, among first officers in the country to use them. Seven have so far been issued in the borough with another currently going through the courts. The pilot has, since the start of the year, been expanded to Wigan, where five orders are already in place. A DAPO can be made by a court during ongoing criminal, family, or civil proceedings. Applications can also be made by the police, by a victim themselves or by a third party. There is no minimum or maximum period they can be in place for, and they include mandatory notification requirements as well as a number of potential prohibitions. These could include could include stopping a perpetrator from coming within a specified distance of a victim's home or workplace. A major challenge for officers dealing with domestic violence is that very often the victims or complainants do not support a prosecution, or end up withdrawing their support. However these orders do not require a conviction for them to be imposed. The applicant just has to provide evidence it is necessary and proportionate. And GMP says it is allowing officers the ability to intervene in cases where previously they may have been powerless to. Whilst the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, has said has welcomed the work of GMP and all the other forces involved in the pilot. Pursuing breaches of the orders is 'incredibly important to build victim confidence' added. Police first became involved with the woman Sgt Galley and PC Stansfield are visiting, who is in her 40s, after a friend reported that her partner had attacked her, which both he and she denied. Numerous incidents and attempted prosecutions have followed. In the woman's own words it has been 'one hell of a nightmare of a relationship.' "I have severe anxiety" she says. "So the idea of going to court was horrendous and I never went" she says. However, her ex-partner has now received a custodial sentence after being slapped with a DAPO. A DAPO may be made by a court during ongoing criminal, family, or civil proceedings. Applications can also be made by the police, by a victim themselves or by a third party. There is no minimum or maximum period they can be in place for, and they include mandatory notification requirements as well as a number of potential prohibitions. These could include stopping a perpetrator from coming within a specified distance of a victim's home and/or any specified premises, such as a workplace. Sgt Galley and his team applied to the courts after the latest prosecution involving this woman and her former partner collapsed. Breaching one is an arrestable criminal offence and he is now behind bars after breaking two of the conditions. Sgt Galley and PC Stansfield are popping in to see how she is. Sat on her sofa with her dressing gown on, Sgt Galley tells her: "This is the best I have ever seen you." She has a beaming smile across her face. "I have just booked a holiday to Benidorm" she says. " "He was spending all my money, I had nothing. "It's the best thing that's ever happened to me" she says, referring to the order. "I don't think he realised how serious it was. But for me, it takes away that guilt and worry. It isn't me that has put him in prison, it is himself." PC Stansfield tells her she may find that she 'grieves for the relationship' but that is perfectly normal. "At the minute I'm okay, but it is still quite new", the woman says. "I have just started clearing out my back bedroom. The main thing is I'm not drinking. I'm not interested in it." "I hope it is rolled out a lot more" she says. "People need to be aware it's there and people who have got them to be aware of how serious they are. It's allowed me to come to terms with who he really is, and offered me a way out." Outside, Sgt Galley says: "She has got her life back." "I've never seen her so happy. And I'm happy myself. I'm so chuffed", says PC Stansfield. "I'm buzzing for her. I got into this job to lock people up. But dealing with cases like this has made me realise that its helping people like her that makes it so rewarding."
