A CHILDREN’S charity has criticised Essex Police for not making the most of laws to protect children.

New figures obtained by the NSPCC show the county’s force received 192 applications from the public under “Sarah’s Law”

between April 2011 and December 2014, but only 30 were completed successfully.

The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, show big differences in successful applications between forces across the country.

The NSPCC claims its investigation has uncovered a postcode lottery.

A total of 5,357 applications have been made to 33 forces nationwide between 2011 and 2014, but only 877 of them resulted in information being disclosed.

Five other forces confirmed they had received 908 applications, but did not provide information about the number of disclosures.

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: “We are disturbed and surprised by this wide discrepancy of figures across the country, revealing a postcode lotterywhen it comes to how forces deal with Sarah’s law.

“Families need to know if there are individuals in their area who pose a risk to children.

“How can you expect parents to make the right choices to protect their children if they don’t knowwho is a threat?”

“The police need to be proactive in empowering communities to protect vulnerable children.

“The wide variation in disclosure numbers doesn’t breed confidence that the scheme is being understood or applied consistently and that is a concern.

“While there may be very good reasons for not disclosing information held to applicants, some forces seem to be too cautious which could put children at serious risk of harm.

“We need to see regular independent evaluation of this vital law to make sure it’s working.”

DCI Jim Sandford said: “Reasons for non-disclosure are varied, but in the majority of cases, the individuals concerned did not have a record of sexual offences against children and there was no information to disclose.

“The percentage of disclosures made in Essex under the child sex offender disclosure scheme is on a par with the national average and it is one of a number of pieces of legislation we use to make a disclosure to relevant parties.

“Protecting children from the threat of sexual offences is a key priority for Essex Police.

“Our public protection officers proactively police registered sex offenders and make full use of all the powers available to protect the public from harm.”

The figures come just weeks after the NSPCC showed a dramatic increase in child sexual abuse being reported to police, with three offences committed against children every hour.

In May a report commissioned by Essex Police and Crime Commissioner Nick Alston said the Essex force received a report of a child rape almost every day in the last year.

HOW FORCES MEASURE UP

ESSEX: 192 applications, 30 disclosures (15.625 per cent)

WARWICKSHIRE: 1,084 applications, 13 disclosures (1.199 per cent)

SUFFOLK: 93 applications, 31 disclosures (33.333 per cent)

SUSSEX: 193 applications, 14 disclosures (7.254 per cent)

Clacton and Frinton Gazette: