Vulnerable women need far better protection from the threat of domestic abuse

Our report today that thousands of vulnerable women are being left at risk of harm thanks to police forces across the country failing to hand over information on potential domestic abusers would be shocking enough on its own. Unfortunately, it is merely the latest shameful example of inadequate protections being offered to those who need them the most.

Data seen by The Independent shows that more than half of 20,000 requests for background checks on potential domestic abusers were rejected in the space of six months, with campaigners saying it leaves women facing a postcode lottery for answers as calls grow for an urgent review of the disclosure scheme, known as Clare’s Law. The scheme is named after Clare Wood, who was murdered in 2009 by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton – a man who had a history of violence of which Wood was unaware.

In October, we revealed that police are missing crucial opportunities to protect hundreds of thousands of victims of domestic abuse, by failing to impose emergency restraining orders on their alleged attackers. Figures showed that just over 1 per cent of those who complained of abuse were given a domestic violence protection order (DVPO). That amounts to 10,489 orders, despite more than 800,000 police reports.