Thousands of women are reportedly at serious risk of harm because police forces are failing to hand over potentially lifesaving information under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.<\/p>\n
Official data shows 56% of the 20,226 requests for background checks on potential domestic abusers were rejected during the six months to March 2022, the Independent<\/em> newspaper reported.<\/p>\n Domestic abuse solicitor Rachel Horman-Brown said failures to disclose information under Clare\u2019s Law can put women\u2019s lives at risk.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes they are told, \u2018You have separated from him; you don\u2019t need to know.\u2019 But separations in the context of domestic abuse are often not linear. Victims will often go back to their perpetrators.\u201d<\/p>\n Academic Dr Charlotte Barlow, who specialises in domestic abuse, described Clare\u2019s Law as a postcode lottery with far more money invested in the scheme in some areas than others.<\/p>\n Survivors sometimes wait months for a disclosure about a partner, while the recommended waiting time of 28 days is too long, she added.<\/p>\n Former justice secretary Robert Buckland called for an independent review into the scheme, saying: \u201cI am less than trusting in the system, and want reassurance that \u2026 applications have not just been dismissed in a summary way, that they have been considered seriously, even if no disclosure is made.<\/p>\n