Home secretary Theresa May hailed an "important step forward for child protection" yesterday as Sarah's law, which allows parents to check if someone has a history of child sex offences, was rolled out to police forces across England and Wales.
Some charities expressed concern that it could drive those on the sex offenders' register underground, or spark vigilante action, though police leaders gave the move cautious support.
May said the programme, which followed the abduction and murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne by convicted sex offender Roy Whiting 10 years ago, would also help police manage known sex offenders more effectively.
"The roll-out of this scheme is an important step forward for child protection in this country," she said.
"Being able to make these checks reassures parents and the community and more importantly keeps children safer.
"Not only will it help parents, carers or guardians ensure that their children are safe, but it also assists the police in managing known sex offenders living in the community more effectively".
The decision to expand the programme follows the independent evaluation of a £600,000 pilot scheme in four police force areas. The pilot saw 315 formal applications from parents and carers that resulted in the disclosure of the background of 21 convicted child sex offenders. The Home Office says more than 60 children were protected from abuse in that period.
The scheme has been rolled out to eight other force areas and will be implemented across England and Wales by March 2011.
The evaluation by De Montfort University, Leicester, said the programme had provided the public with a formal mechanism for asking for information about individuals who have unsupervised access to children and may be convicted sex offenders.
The Guardian
