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New police unit for Sarah's Law queries
A NEW unit which investigates crimes against children and other vulnerable people in Scarborough will deal with requests under the pioneering Sarah's Law to be introduced later this year.
The Protection of Vulnerable Persons Unit (PVPU) was set up last April and brought together four separate units under one central location.
DI Andrea Kell, who leads a team of 13 detectives and one admin staff member, said extending the Sarah’s Law pilot scheme to include North Yorkshire in August was a positive step in reassuring the public.
She said: “I’d like to think that the public have confidence to report concerns that we can evaluate. Public confidence is our top priority and it is how each force is assessed.
“It does give the public some confidence and reassurance that there’s that channel of information. If it’s deemed appropriate we make the disclosures.”
The Evening News has been campaigning for the introduction of Sarah’s Law, which was named after eight-year-old Sarah Payne who was killed by a convicted paedophile in West Sussex in 2000, and North Yorkshire is one of the next 18 forces to adopt the scheme under a nationwide roll-out.
Members of the public will be able to use a formal mechanism to make inquiries about people who are in contact with children.
The scheme was initially piloted in four police forces. In total those forces saw 585 inquiries and 315 applications, primarily from parents, carers and guardians.
This resulted in the disclosure of the background of 21 convicted child sex offenders which saved 60 children.
Under the pilot scheme officers in Cambridgeshire, Cleveland, Hamp- shire and Warwickshire would only reveal details confidentially whenthey thought it was in the child’s interests.
The PVPU, which covers Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale, brought together four separate units and is based at Scarborough Police Station following a review in 2008.
It was aimed at better sharing of information and brought together the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, the Community Protection Unit, the Vulnerable Persons Unit and the Public Protection Unit.
DI Kell said: “The last 12 months have been getting the structures and working practices right and in the next 12 months we are hoping to see the benefits of the new unit.”
Detectives working within the PVPU are responsible for:
l investigation of child abuse within the family or by a person within a position of trust – these cases can either be current or historic
l investigation of cases of abuse of the elderly or other vulnerable adults
l investigation of Domestic violence
l and management of registered sex offenders.
There are similar units in Northallerton, York and Harrogate.
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Weather for Scarborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
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