FIGURES have revealed just 16 per cent of people who asked Essex Police for information on people they feared could cause domestic violence were given details last year.

Clare’s Law allows those who are in fear of domestic violence to ask police for information about their partner called Right to Ask.

It also permits police or other authorities to make a proactive decision on whether to tell people about their new partner’s history called Right to Know.

In the 12 months leading up to last June, Essex Police received 119 requests for information from concerned members of the public and made 19 disclosures.

In the same time period, 1,010 Right to Know applications were made, with 91 disclosures submitted - a total of 9 per cent.

In both categories, Essex Police had the third lowest percentage of disclosures across the country according the the figures analysed by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

The top performing force in the country was Cumbria which released information to 76 per cent of requests from the public, and 98 per cent of the time to internal applications.

Clare’s Law came into force in 2014 after Clare Wood was murdered by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton in Salford five years earlier.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “A panel of police, probation services and other agencies check every request thoroughly to decide if disclosure of information is necessary.

“This ensures personal information is treated with the appropriate confidentially and data protection.

“Once approved, trained police officers and advisers are able to provide support to victims when required. There are certain criteria which need to be met in order for information to be disclosed.

“Often people apply for information without necessarily knowing the required criteria, which is available on our website, and this, therefore, may account for fewer Right to Ask information request responses.

“Our public protection unit uses Clare’s Law to keep people throughout Essex safe.

“In addition to managing requests from the public, we also request information about people we know may be a risk to someone and disclose information to potential victims.

“Even if no violence is found in someone’s background, we still help with advice and support if someone is fearful of their partner’s behaviour.”