Police receive 1,600 requests for abuse history of partners

NEARLY 1,600 people in Scotland have been told about their partners’ abusive past in the three years since the introduction of a groundbreaking disclosure initiative.

The number of requests for information about a partner’s history has increased each year, with more than 3,500 requests for disclosure made since October 1, 2015. This year there have been more than 1,360 referrals through the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse in Scotland (DSDAS).

The scheme is similar to the Clare’s Law scheme in England and Wales named after Clare Wood, murdered by her ex-boyfriend in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 2009. Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Gillian MacDonald said yesterday: ‘The scheme provides an opportunity for people who have concerns about a new partner’s abusive past to seek information from the police to help ensure their own safety.

‘But this scheme is also open to those with concerns about another person’s artner – this could be a friend, a family member or a support worker.

‘The disclosure scheme is about empowering people who have concerns with the right to ask about the background of their partner.’

She added: ‘This scheme is an opportunity to prevent abuse, to stop people becoming victims and to halt the trauma caused by abusers.

‘If you are worried that your partner might have an abusive past, or you are worried about someone else, DSDAS could provide information that can help that person make a positive

‘Concerns about abusive past’

choice to protect themselves and their future.’

Applications from individuals using their ‘right to ask’ have increased by almost 40 per cent in the past year.

Any concerned third party, such as a relative or friend can also make the application on a person’s behalf.

In 2016, a man who fired a shotgun at his wife more than 30 years ago became the first to be convicted under the Clare’s Law scheme.

Robert Burke, of Rosyth, Fife, had boasted to a colleague about a ‘prank’ in which he fired a blank cartridge at his wife as a joke.

His shocked workmate applied to police for information about Burke’s past and officers investigated, leading to the landmark conviction at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

Burke’s wife had described him as ‘controlling and manipulative’ from an early stage.