Sex offender disclosure scheme set for Scotland
Joe Lepper
Monday, March 1, 2010
Parents across Scotland are to be given the right to find out if adults with access to their children are convicted sex offenders.
The Scottish government's justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has announced that the initiative will be rolled out across Scotland from the summer, following positive feedback from a disclosure scheme pilot taking place in Tayside.
He said: "Feedback I have received from Tayside is very positive, people are aware of it and concerned parents are approaching the police to request information. It provides yet another avenue to identify and address the risks posed to children by sex offenders, and empowers parents to address concerns about the safety of their children.
"Discussions are currently taking place with all of Scotland's police forces about how quickly we would be able to have the scheme up and running in their areas."
He added that Fife Constabulary and Central Scotland Police have said they are keen to get the scheme up and running by the autumn.
A full evaluation of the Tayside pilot, which finishes in May and is called Keeping Children Safe, will be published in August.
Assistant chief constable Iain Livingstone, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland's public protection spokesman, welcomed the nationwide roll out.
He said: "The implementation throughout Scotland will increase our ability to protect children and other vulnerable members of the community."
