esme Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Taken from The Telegraph 15 Jul 2012 Clare Wood, 36, was strangled by ex-boyfriend George Appleton in 2009 - he set her body on fire before hanging himself. Her family later discovered that he had a history of violence against women, including kidnapping an ex-girlfriend at knifepoint. They have campaigned ever since for women to be given the power to ask the police and other agencies to check the records of prospective boyfriends. Right behind this idea, being able to see if your partner has a record of violence might save some lives, I can see there may be a few bugs to iron out with errors in checks giving false positives and negatives and there may be a few other problems but broadly I'm behind this idea. What gives me pause is this bit Under the scheme, both men and women will be able to apply to check on a partner with whom they are embarking on an "intimate relationship". Applications will also be allowed from family members, friends and neighbours on behalf of another person if they have a "reasonable" fear that they may be at risk. So you can now check on someone you just met to see if they have a history of violence, personally I feel that's a bit of a stretch but OK I'll go with it providing someone can demonstrate how you prove you are "embarking on an intimate relationship" to the authorities, I mean lets face it a lot of people meet in a bar and wind up in bed that same night, others take their time and do the whole courtship thing before taking the plunge and there's a huge range of behaviours between these, so what constitutes proof of "embarking on an intimate relationship" ? Then there's the other bit "Applications will also be allowed from family members, friends and neighbours" - pardon me ? Your partners family can check if you have a history of violence - ok .. ish, I'm a bit reserved on that but I can see reasons for it. But friends and neighbours ? If friends and neighbours have reason enough to ask, then they can report their suspicions to the authorities and let the authorities deal with it there is no reason why the authorities should disclose this information to friends and neighbours, in my opinion that just encourages vigilantism and witch hunts. Plus anyone can say they are a friend, all they need are a few details. So how do you feel about this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frededwards Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 It is doubtless poor legistlation, but it will serve to deflect media attention away from the governments poor performance in other areas, it will, therefore, serve its purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubydazzler Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 In the days before so much social mobility and the internet, people pretty much knew everything about everyone they were ever likely to meet, or someone they knew would know. Sp why not go further and allow anyone to ask questions about anyone? After all, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingray-man Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 who would actually bother checking though ?, when you meet a partner its all love and fun how many people sit back and wonder if that person is a murderer, i know i never have. but i like the idea of it because i have 2 daughters , they probably would'nt bother checking it would be me checking on who they bring to my house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 This bit interests me: Refuge, the domestic violence charity, have said that the initiative is a waste of police time, and there are also concerns about the potential for malicious complaints. When you have a charity like Refuge saying its a waste of time, you do have to question it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Shaw Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 It is doubtless poor legislation Is it legislation at all? Which Act of Parliament, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frededwards Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 It doesn't have to be an act of Parliament to be legistlation. Some suspension of the right to privacy must have been put in place (either by Westminster or the Welsh Assembly) to allow Gwent police to circumvent current privacy and confidentiality regulations whilst piloting this scheme. Speaking personally, I find it a litlle strange and unnecessary that a moderator would use such an argumentative tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampster Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 is it just me? but I can't help thinking that if I had enough doubts about someone to go check with the Police about previous misdemeanour's then just why the hell would I be seeking an intimate relationship with them in the first place? No only that, but this law (like CRB checks) is only any good if the person has been caught and convicted previously. Or are they going to keep and release records of any unproven, unsubstantiated or even found not guilty claims? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Shaw Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 It doesn't have to be an act of Parliament to be legistlation. Some suspension of the right to privacy must have been put in place (either by Westminster or the Welsh Assembly) to allow Gwent police to circumvent current privacy and confidentiality regulations whilst piloting this scheme. Speaking personally, I find it a litlle strange and unnecessary that a moderator would use such an argumentative tone. Not argumentative at all; I wished to know- and you yourself aren't yet able to say- by what legislative means this 'law' has effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frededwards Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 As I made clear, above: "Some suspension of the right to privacy must have been put in place (either by Westminster or the Welsh Assembly) to allow Gwent police to circumvent current privacy and confidentiality regulations whilst piloting this scheme." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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