- Statutory deadline to disclose
- 28 days
- Disclosures nationally in year to March 2023
- 17,438
- Forces routinely outside 28-day timescale (2023-25 PEEL cycle)
- 10 of 43
National picture, since 2014
Clare's Law was rolled out across all 43 forces in March 2014. HMICFRS reported as early as 2017 that it was disappointed records had not increased in line with rising domestic abuse reporting. Barlow and Walklate (2024) documented significant disparities between forces, with some routinely meeting the 28-day deadline and others regularly exceeding it. In February 2024 the Home Office announced it would scrutinise all 43 forces on Clare's Law data.
The HMICFRS State of Policing 2024-25 report (September 2025) found that 10 of 43 forces inspected in the 2023-25 PEEL cycle were routinely outside the 28-day timescale with backlogs. Governance and oversight processes were often not good enough. Where protective orders were granted, forces did not always enforce them well enough.
5 May 2026 · Accelerated cause of concern
Suffolk Constabulary, inadequate
The first force to receive an accelerated cause of concern specifically for Clare's Law failure. HMICFRS found a backlog of over 500 outstanding applications including one submitted in January 2025, a wait of over a year. The constabulary was leaving identifiable digital records of police contact on victims' devices including emails and texts, without a standardised process for when an abuser might answer the phone or overhear a conversation. Suffolk fully accepted the findings and has three months to produce an improvement plan. The cause of concern arose from a specific Clare's Law monitoring exercise, not from PEEL.
2023-25 PEEL
Northumbria Police, must follow national guidelines
Needs to follow national guidelines under Clare's Law when making disclosures. An area for improvement rather than a cause of concern, but it indicates non-compliance is not unique to Suffolk. The force also needs to improve its use of protective orders.
22 April 2026 · PEEL
Wiltshire Police, no proactive monitoring of breaches
No clear and proactive system to monitor protective orders or breaches; relies heavily on victims to report breaches themselves. 217 domestic abuse cases waiting for a secondary risk assessment at end of November 2025. Requires improvement for both investigating crime and safeguarding vulnerable people.
Sources
- DVDS statutory guidance, April 2023
- College of Policing DVDS principles