A NEW scheme has been launched today in North Yorkshire to help protect children from paedophiles.

The child sex offender disclosure scheme went live in the county and seven other police areas at midnight. It has been called Sarah's Law, as it came about through the efforts of Sara Payne, mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne.

The scheme allows parents to ask if an individual who has access to their children has a record of child sex offences.

If the person is found to have convictions for sexual offences against children and poses a risk of harming the child in question then the information can be given to the parent.

North Yorkshire was among eight police areas where the scheme came into effect at midnight, with the rest of the country due to join the scheme in stages over several months.

Detective Chief Inspector Kerrin Smith, head of the protecting vulnerable persons (PVP) unit at North Yorkshire Police said: “The Disclosure Scheme is a major development in protecting children and we welcome the expansion into North Yorkshire.

“Protecting children from harm is a major priority for us and the new arrangements will provide us with an enhanced ability to protect children as well as empowering parents and carers to keep their children safe. It is essential that they have the ability to raise their own concerns and have some informed control over who they allow close to their children.

Chief Inspector Smith added: “It is imperative that if any member of the public has any form of concern that they contact the police. Do not hesitate, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, your information may be very important and could help to keep a child safe. We may not know about it unless you make the call.”

North Yorkshire Police have set up a dedicated phone line - 01609 768003 - for members of the public to call. It will be staffed by an operator who will pass the information on to specially trained officers who deal with public protection issues.

Those officers are responsible for making contact with the member of the public, obtaining full details to enable them to research the named individual and assess what risk that person may pose to the child.

This involves working with a wide range of partners such as the Probation Service and health services. Once all the information is considered, a decision on whether a disclosure is to be given will be made. This takes into account whether the individual concerned is a risk to the child or another child and also who is best placed to protect the child from that individual.