A SCHEME piloted by Gwent Police and three other forces since July 2012 will be implemented nationally from March next year.

The Domestic Abuse Disclosure Scheme, or Clare’s Law as it is better known, allows men and women to ask police whether their partner has been violent in the past.

And if they have been, the police can consider disclosing the information.

The scheme is named after Clare Wood. She was murdered in February 2009 by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton at her home in Manchester.

Other pilots were run by the Greater Manchester, Wiltshire and Nottinghamshire forces.

In those four forces, 400 disclosures were made.

There are two branches to Clare’s Law. Under the right to ask scheme people are able to apply to police forces for information on their partner’s domestic violence history.

In Gwent, there have been 76 applications under the right to ask scheme. 11 of these resulted in disclosures.

But under the right to know scheme, if the police have reason to believe information on a partner will help protect a person from domestic violence, they can release details.

And in Gwent, there were 12 applications under the right to ask, two of which led to disclosures.

The applications can also be made on behalf of a person who is felt to be at risk by friends or family members.

Temporary Detective Inspector Wendy Keepin of Gwent Police’s Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit said: “Whilst the scheme won’t address every issue or situation, we welcome the announcement that the scheme will be rolled out nationally as this will help ensure that more people can make informed decisions about their relationships. Our feedback from those who have made applications and from the officers and staff operating the scheme has so far been positive.

“We look forward to working with other forces to help them develop the scheme nationally and consider Clare’s Law as a very useful tool along with other measures and tactics at our disposal to help keep people safe from harm.”

And to mark International White Ribbon day, Gwent Police’s UNISON branch held at White Ribbon event. The campaign, which is run by men, seeks to end violence against women and girls.

Chief Constable Jeff Farrar said: "As we know domestic abuse is still largely a hidden crime. Days like International White Ribbon day are very important as they draw attention to this issue and can encourage victims to talk to police or other partner agencies and not suffer in silence.”