Force's disclosure scheme response improves

Thames Valley Police says tackling domestic abuse is a "top priority" for it

A police force's management of a scheme to let people know if their partner has a history of domestic violence has improved, figures show.

The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) – known as Clare's Law – was launched in 2014 to provide information within 28 days that could protect someone from being a victim of attack.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) said 31% of requests were responded to within the statutory timeframe, between June and August 2024, but that increased to 71% over the same period this year.

Det Ch Supt Lee Barnham, TVP's head of public protection and safeguarding, said tackling domestic abuse was a "top priority" for the force.

Clare's Law was named after Clare Wood, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in Salford in 2009.

In January, the BBC reported that the force took 85 days to reply to one woman's request, which ultimately showed that a man was jailed for violence against women.

The region's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matthew Barber said its previous performance was unacceptable earlier this year.

Papers for the Thames Valley's Police and Crime Panel show 37% of TVP's 144 live applications in the summer had not been responded to within 28 days.

In Milton Keynes that amounted to 27% of applications, but in Oxfordshire 56% were not responded to within the required time.

The number of Right to Ask applications, in which people can apply for information about their partner, increased by 41% between summer 2024 and summer 2025, from 375 to 529.

Reports issued under the second element of the DVDS, the Right to Know, where police can proactively make a disclosure if they receive information about a person, also increased.

TVP's disclosure of those applications within the 28-day timeframe increased from 32% to 53% over the summers of 2024 and 2025, the papers show.

"We recognise the value of the Clare's Law scheme in allowing individuals to make informed decisions around relationships," Mr Barnham said.

"Tackling all forms of domestic abuse remains a top priority for us so we will continue to work hard to continually improve and serve victims."