Clare's Law showing early successes say police and social services agencies
In the five months since Clare's Law was enacted in Alberta, more than 200 applications were made to the province for information and support.
The law allows people living in violent or abusive relationships to fill out an online application asking police to share any violent criminal history of their domestic partners. It also puts the applicants in touch with social services that can point them towards the best supports and counselling.
"You can have a friend or family member fill it out for you or with you," said Carrie McManus, director of programs at Sagesse, an agency that helps abused women in the next steps after emergency shelters. "So I think that ease of access of "I'm not really sure what's going on, I'm not really sure if this is violence, I'm not really sure what I need for support" and the ability to fill that out and get the disclosure and the ability to get connected to social services."
According to the office of the minister of Community and Social Services, there were 226 applications in the first five months of the law being in effect. Of those, there were 102 disclosures and 127 people were referred for more help.
Some of that includes identifying abusive behaviours or making plans to reach safety or signal a need for immediate help.
Calgary Police said the law has been effective from their experience as well. Staff Sgt. Vincent Hancott heads the Domestic Conflict Unit which falls under the Major Crimes Unit. He said the disclosure of violent criminal history is important, but only one element in protecting families.
"The education, prevention, intervention," said Hancott. "That is probably the biggest underlying thing that I see as a benefit from Clare's Law."
He said as of his most recent data, a total of 57 applications have come from Calgary. Each of the 30,000 calls his unit fields each year are channeled to different investigators based on the assessed risk, from low to high.
"(To) go to these kinds of calls and be able to get help immediately for individuals that are experiencing violence in their relationship," Hancot said. "That's very rewarding."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.