What information do the police hold that may be useful?

The College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice clearly states that sharing police information must be linked to a policing purpose, and defines such purposes as:

• protecting life and property
• preserving order
• preventing and detecting offences
• bringing offenders to justice
• any duty or responsibility arising from common or statute law (see below).

In addition to statutory duties under data protection and safeguarding legislation, the police also rely on common law powers and duties to share information where this is necessary to protect the public. These powers are long‑established and operate alongside the Data Protection Act 2018, the Law Enforcement Directive framework, and human rights obligations.

The foundational common law principle is that police constables have a duty to prevent and detect crime, including a corresponding power to take steps needed to fulfil that duty. This principle underpins many operational decisions, including when information can or should be shared to protect individuals from harm.

This means that, even where statutory frameworks (e.g., disclosure thresholds or criminal justice processes) do not require information sharing, common law may justify proportionate disclosure if doing so is needed to reduce risk or prevent further offences.

The CLPD scheme provides a formal mechanism for sharing information under common law where there is a public protection risk. It enables the police to pass relevant information to an employer, regulatory body or other organisation so they can act quickly to mitigate danger – for example, where an individual with access to children is arrested for, or suspected of, a harmful offence.

CLPD applies even where the criminal investigation has not yet concluded or where no charge has been brought. Decisions must be based on the seriousness and reliability of the information, and whether there is a real and immediate risk and a pressing social need to disclose. An Inspector must authorise the disclosure and be able to justify its necessity and proportionality.

Under the CSOD scheme (also known as ‘Sarah’s Law’), anyone with concerns about an individual who has contact with a child can formally ask the police whether that individual:

• has a criminal record for child sexual offences
• poses a risk to the child or other children for another reason.

If the police find that there is information about the individual that should be shared, they will share that information with whoever can use it to keep the child safe – this may include multi-agency safeguarding partners and the child’s parents, but not necessarily the person who made the request.

Common law also sets out a duty of confidentiality, meaning that information given in confidence should not normally be disclosed without consent. However, disclosure without consent is lawful when it is necessary to do any of the following:

• safeguard an individual
• prevent serious harm
• serve the wider public interest.

This exception is well‑recognised in common law guidance: disclosure is permitted where it is needed to protect others or uphold public safety.

Common law powers operate alongside, not instead of, statutory requirements such as the Data Protection Act 2018 or the Law Enforcement Directive. Police must still ensure that any disclosure is necessary, proportionate, justified and recorded, in line with professional guidance from the College of Policing, which emphasises that safeguarding and public protection remain core purposes of information sharing.

Common law provides essential flexibility for police to share information before statutory thresholds are met, ensuring that safeguarding partners can act quickly when there is credible risk. In the context of child sexual abuse—in which signs are often ambiguous, gradually emerging, or insufficient for immediate criminal thresholds—these common law powers are a vital part of keeping children safe.

If any information held in the documents below may be useful in safeguarding a child, you should share it as part of a multi-agency assessment, whether or not you have the individual’s consent to do so.

These include relevant and disclosable details from any open or closed investigations, the identities of victims and suspects, crime scene reports, and investigative notes. They can be used to understand the details of the abuse, establish timelines, and confirm details that will assist in safeguarding the child.

These provide details of any occasions when a suspect has been arrested for sexual or non-sexual offences. They can be used to understand whether there is a pattern of arrest or concern related to the suspect.

Records are kept of an individual’s previous convictions and criminal activities. Where this information relates to or may be relevant to child sexual abuse, it can be used to inform risk assessments for ongoing or future offending behaviour.

Physical evidence collected during investigations (e.g. DNA, photographs, digital evidence such as mobile devices or computers) may be useful for identifying suspects and their patterns of offending.

You can find out more about the collection and analysis of forensic evidence in the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice.

Statements made by the child (victim), any witnesses, or the suspect. These can be used to understand the nature of the abuse, establish the facts, and gauge the level of risk to the child and others.

Your police force may carry out a risk assessment to establish an individual’s likelihood of reoffending, particularly if they are an adult cautioned for or convicted of sexual offences (in which case the Active Risk Management System (ARMS) is used to assess that risk). This can be used to gauge the level of risk that a suspect poses, and to inform how people who have committed sexual offences are managed in the community.

A range of orders is available to police to prevent sexual harm and safeguard potential victims. The suitability of a particular order depends on the nature of the risk posed by the individual offender and the circumstances involved.

• Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs) are used to apply for restrictive conditions or positive obligations to prevent harmful behaviour of offenders who have been convicted of a sexual or violent or other dangerous offence listed in schedule 3 or schedule 5 of the Sexual Offences Act (SOA) 2003.
• Sexual Risk Orders (SROs) are used to apply for restrictive conditions or positive obligations to prevent the harmful behaviour of any individual who has not been cautioned for or convicted of an offence in Schedule 3 or Schedule 5 of the SOA 2003, but who poses a risk of sexual harm.

Who should have information about these orders?

Information about an individual who is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) or Sexual Risk Order (SRO) is critical for managing risk and protecting children. Although the police are the primary agency responsible for holding, recording and disseminating this information, several safeguarding partners will need access to relevant details to fulfil their statutory duties.

1. Police (MOSOVO/Public Protection Units) – primary holders of SHPO/SRO information

The police are responsible for recording the order, monitoring compliance, taking enforcement action, and ensuring the right practitioners are informed.

Police public protection teams must ensure that information about sexual or violent offenders is available to the right individuals and agencies at the right time, and that local intelligence systems flag registered offenders and associated restrictions (e.g., conditions of an SHPO).

All offenders subject to SHPOs/SROs should be recorded on ViSOR (the national management system for sexual/violent offenders) and flagged on local intelligence systems with alerts for officers.

2. Other ‘responsible authorities’: Probation and Prison Services (via MAPPA)

Where a person is managed under MAPPA, the responsible authorities (police, probation, and prisons) all need access to the conditions of the SHPO/SRO to coordinate ongoing supervision and risk management.

Forces must notify other responsible authorities of relevant activity involving any sexual or violent offender.

3. Agencies directly involved in safeguarding the child or potential victims

Information about SHPO/SRO conditions should be shared – with the minimum necessary detail – with practitioners and organisations that need it to protect children or vulnerable people. This may include:

• children’s social care
• probation services working with the non-abusing parent or family
• education settings where the offender has legitimate access
• health practitioners involved in risk assessment or safeguarding
• youth justice services (if the subject is under 18)

Sharing must be necessary, proportionate and lawful, but is justified by safeguarding duties and the police’s common law duty to prevent crime. SHPO/SRO details must be shared when needed to implement safety planning.

4. Employers or regulatory bodies (when relevant to safeguarding)

Where an individual works or volunteers in a role involving access to children or vulnerable people, the police may disclose SHPO/SRO information to the employer or relevant regulator under Common Law Police Disclosure (CLPD).

CLPD ensures that the police pass on information where there is a public protection risk, enabling employers to act to mitigate danger.

Disclosures must meet the tests of real and immediate risk and pressing social need and require Inspector approval.

5. Practitioners supervising requirements in the order

Some SHPO/SROs include positive requirements (e.g., attendance at a programme), and the Sexual Offences Act requires the court to specify a named person or organisation responsible for supervising compliance.

That person or organisation must have sufficient information about the order to carry out their responsibilities and notify the police of compliance or breaches.

Alternative orders and disruption techniques

Alternatives to the above orders include:

• Child abduction warning notices (CAWNs), used to disrupt the activities of an individual who repeatedly associates with a young person under the age of 16 if living at home, or under the age of 18 if living in the care of a local authority
• Domestic violence protection notices (DVPNs) and Domestic violence protection orders (DVPOs), used to prevent a perpetrator from returning to the shared home and from having contact with the victim for up to 28 days – this allows the victim time to consider their options and get the support they need (only applies to DVPOs)
• Violent offender orders (VOOs), which protect the public from serious violent harm from offenders.