POLICE have seen increasing numbers of concerned parents using ‘Sarah’s Law’ to check whether an individual with access to their child is a sex offender.

Sarah’s Law, officially known as the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, was introduced in 2011 following the abduction and murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne by paedophile Roy Whiting, in 2000.

It allows anyone to ask their local police force if someone has a record of committing crimes against children.

Figures obtained under freedom of information laws by Portsmouth University show that there were just nine disclosure enquires to Durham Police in 2010.

However, in 2018, there were 81 disclosure applications, six of which related to registered child sex offenders.

Cleveland Police received 53 enquires in 2010 and by 2018 this had almost doubled to 95 applications.

For both forces, 2018 was the year with the highest number of disclosure applications since Sarah’s Law was introduced.

National figures from 22 police forces that returned comparable data also show that such disclosures have nearly doubled since 2011, rising from 120 a year to 219 annually.

Donald Findlater, director of child abuse helpline Stop It Now, said it was reassuring to see the figures growing.

Mr Findlater, who sat on the panel consulting with the government before the scheme became law, told PA: “I think the rise is demonstrating a level of interest in safeguarding children and seeking information greater than we have had historically.

“I would like to see this trend continue because it is demonstrating awareness and vigilance.

“One in ten children experience sexual abuse and one of the biggest problems is people are blind to the reality of it and think, ‘it won’t happen around here’.

“The fact that people are making the applications demonstrates to me that people are aware that the children they love and care about may be vulnerable to abuse.”

Even if an application does not result in a disclosure, those who enquired are given a pack with information about where to turn if they suspect abuse.

Mr Findlater added: “Right now there are approximately 59,000 people on the sex offender register, but that is simply a fraction of those who represent a risk to children.”